Monster Among Men
by Person002
Summary: Moving out of Hell didn't change Venus Morningstar's mischievous ways. Sick of it, Lucifer banishes her after she cons a team of super-powered teens into helping her steal the Helmet of Fate. Her sentence? Help the Team, to the true best of her ability, until the New Year. Though Venus has no choice but to help the Team, she's determined not to like them. Too bad that fails.
1. Prologue

**Why have I started two new stories in two days when I haven't updated my other ones? Beats me. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

**Disclaimer part two: This entire story will have some religious/sac-religious undertones to it. If you'll find that offensive, please be warned!**

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**NEW ORLEANS**  
**July 27, 21:41 CDT **

"Out."

Venus blinked slowly, breaking her distant gaze through the smoke curling out of her mouth and instead focusing on the man speaking to her. It was the owner of the pub she was in, and he was scowling at her with his arms crossed over his chest. She smiled at him charmingly, pretending she hadn't heard.

"Sorry?" she replied, taking another drag of her cigarette and exhaling slowly. Her pronunciation was affected by a mild British accent. The man's frown deepened at the girl's attempt at faux-innocence.

He had only just noticed her, but she seemed to have been in the bar for quite some time. He'd hoped to not have had to kick her out, but he'd been shooting her looks for the past fifteen minutes and she hadn't seemed to notice.

Either that, or she'd been ignoring him.

"I said, _out_." He pointed firmly at her, then at the door to underline his statement. She raised an eyebrow. "Beyond the fact that you don't look nearly old enough to be in here in the first place," he continued. "This is a no-smoking establishment." The girl looked at her cigarette in amusement, seemingly unbothered by his annoyance. She inhaled smoke again, just to watch his nostrils flare at the blatant display of disrespect.

"I didn't know there was a minimum age to enter the building," she replied coolly.

The man rolled his eyes. He had seen this type before. Rebellious kids trying to be cool and show off for their friends constantly came into his bar because they only carded people when they tried to order alcohol. This girl fit the part perfectly.

Everything from the way she looked and dressed - she was wearing an oversized singlet like a dress, with fishnet stockings and heeled boots underneath, and was wearing _way _too much makeup - to the way she acted, too cocky for her own good, pointed to "troublemaker."

The man scowled at the half-drunk glass of scotch in front of the teenager, wondering how she'd managed to get it. None of his employees would have fallen for a fake ID - this girl _looked_ sixteen, despite her provocative appearance. "Who served that to you?"

"Your bartender," Venus replied, picking up the glass and taking a slow sip of the drink. Her eyes flickered over to the woman mixing a drink across the room, amused. The owner groaned, and Venus added, "But don't blame her. I'm _very_ convincing." The man sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. She was way more arrogant than most kids who came in here.

"Look, kid, you don't really want me to call your parents, do you?" He usually threatened parents first, cops second. Getting police involved got messy easily, and sometimes ended up with an unwelcome investigation of his own pub. Most times the teenagers were scared enough of getting grounded that they'd leave on their own. But this girl just smiled darkly, like she knew something he didn't.

"Actually, I'd _love_ it if you called my father."

The owner shook his head in disgust, opening his mouth to respond. But before he could say a word, she was speaking again.

"I mean, you don't really mind that I'm here, do you?" She looked up at the owner, locking eyes with him. He snorted derisively.

"Ye –" Halfway through the word, the man forgot what he was going to say. He blinked, dazed.

The girl's eyes, the same color as the mahogany of the table she was sitting at, were smudged with eyeliner and mascara. She narrowed them slightly, keeping her gaze locked with his. There was something deep and alluring about her eyes, so entrancing that he began to lose his train of thought. What _had _he been upset about, again?

"Um…" Venus smiled, patiently waiting for his response. "No…" he replied slowly, confused.

Something streaked across the floor, and the owner snapped out of his daze as he stared in shock at the small, black cat that landed on the girl's lap. He glared at the teenager; his irritation renewed. Why the hell was there a _cat_ in his bar? The girl was scowling at the animal as well, but not in disgust - more so in annoyance.

"That's it. Out." Venus groaned in irritation, scooping up the kitten up with one hand and placing it on her shoulder. The animal rearranged itself, meowing indignantly at being manhandled.

"Grimalkin, you ruin everything," she scolded the kitten. She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the owner again. "I –" Before she could finish her sentence, her attention was drawn elsewhere. She stared beyond the bar owner's shoulder, her lips forming into a small, secretive smile. "Never mind," she said, dropping some money on the table. "I got what I came for. I'm leaving."

Venus stepped out of the bar, the sounds of instrumental music and laughter echoing through the cobbled streets of New Orleans. She stubbed her smoldering cigarette out in an ashtray just outside the building as she followed the old man who had caught her attention.

The man, Kent Nelson, was wearing an old but well-fitting suit, and carried a wooden cane with a shiny bronze handle. The cane hung from his hand – elderly though he was, his gait seemed steady enough. Venus trailed the man subtly, staying a good several yards behind him. She wouldn't have been surprised if he had already noticed her, but she didn't quite care.

Grimalkin meowed plaintively from her perch on Venus's shoulder, and the teenager sighed, allowing the kitten to hop down. She sat on the cobblestones, her whiskers twitching.

"Don't get lost," Venus told her pet warningly, keeping her eyes on Kent Nelson. Grimalkin meowed agreeably, streaking off in an inky blur. Venus walked on, pausing when Nelson did so.

The demon watched with a sort of ferocious curiosity as Nelson studied a sign outside of a small fortune-telling shop. From her angle, Venus could just make out the words "Madame Xanadu" and the emblem on an eye. Fortune-teller's shop.

Kent Nelson studied the sign for a moment, his brow furrowed in careful thought. After a moment of deliberation, he withdrew a small pocket watch from inside of his jacket. He opened the watch, gazing at it for a moment before closing it back up and pushing through the door.

Venus took a few steps closer, choosing an inconspicuous place to watch for Nelson's return. Following him into the small shop would've been too risky. She was only waiting for a few moments when Grimalkin appeared again. The kitten strolled up the cobbled path. When she reached Venus's feet, the kitten opened her mouth, depositing the small creature that had been clenched in her jaw at the feet of the demon.

Unimpressed, Venus looked down at the shivering mouse. Once it had recovered from the shock of being almost eaten, the small animal attempted to make a run for it. Grimalkin slapped her paw down, trapping the tiny creature once more, and it let out another round of panicked squeaks into the air.

"Oh, _Grim_," Venus said with an exasperated sigh. The kitten looked up, wide eyes the picture of innocence as the mouse squealed beneath her paw. "Either let it go or finish it," Venus commanded. "But quit playing with the thing, will ya?" Affronted, Grimalkin lifted her paw, her whiskers twitching in offense. The mouse rolled over and scuttled away, squeaking in relieved terror as it disappeared into the darkness.

A sudden crashing noise drew Venus's attention. The demon spun forward, staring at the shop that Nelson had disappeared into. She sprinted towards the door, flinging it open and staring inside.

Venus made it just in time to see Nelson's cane glowing a bright golden light. She instinctively flung a hand over her eyes to block the glow, scowling against the brightness. When it vanished, she opened her eyes again.

The shop was completely empty. Someone had gotten to Nelson before her.

"No!" Venus cried in fury, spinning around. Her eyes were full of enraged fire, her angelic face contorted into a terrifying scowl. At her angry exclamation, Grimalkin appeared in the windowsill. The cat's eyes were wide, and she spat with anger, arching her back and hissing on Venus's behalf.

The demon took a few deep breaths, struggling to calm herself. After a few moments she sighed, holding her arms out for the kitten. Grimalkin leapt into her masters' arms, and Venus dug her fingers into Grim's fur, stroking the cat thoughtfully.

"Plan B," Venus announced with a scowl. "We're off to Salem."

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**so that's like a (very) short intro. i starting writing out all of Denial, but then i thought maybe it's best to do like a short introduction instead cuz the chapter was getting to be realllllyyyy long. so...here's a 'lil taste, and chapter two should be out soon-ish (if wifi permits)**

**also just want to set some things straight about venus/this story:**

**\- i refer to her as both a demon and an angel in this. this is not a mistake - if anyone of you happened to have read the profile for venus in my other story, "iron justice," i've revised her a little. venus is a fallen angel (not archangel as i originally wrote) which equals a demon. her "human-appearing" form is her angel form. if she shows her wings in this "human-like" form, they're the classic white angel wings. the other form that she can assume is her demon form, in which case her wings appeared leathery and bat-like.**

**\- grimalkin is _technically _a normal cat, but she's also kinda venus's familiar (not quite in the same way teekl is to klarion). the cat itself has no powers, but she keeps venus more stable to earth.**

**\- other notes to be clarified in chap. 2 :)**

**please please leave a review and let me know what you think of venus! i was hesitant to write her at first, but i kinda fell in love and couldn't help doing it. so...please let me know! i accept any and all feedback, so PLEASE REVIEW!**

**thank you!**


	2. Denial

**To Natalie Jerrett: Glad you're enjoying it! :)**

**This chapter is loooooooong. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice**

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**SALEM  
August 19, 19:16 EDT**

Venus was pacing moodily around the hotel room she'd been staying in for the past several weeks. She'd known that the Tower of Fate was located in Salem, Massachusetts, but she also knew that she was unable to access it without permission or a key, neither of which she had. It had taken her longer than expected to actually get to Salem, because her father was being unreasonably overbearing at the moment. She'd had to dodge her father several times before actually arriving in Salem, but once she'd arrive it hadn't taken her long to figure out who had taken Nelson.

_Klarion. _

She hated the witch boy - he was an annoying brat with too much power for his own good.

Scowling at the mere thought of the Lord of Chaos - _ugh, _he did _not _deserve that title - Venus walked over to the window of the room, her eyes burning. She _wanted _the Helmet of Fate. As she glared out at nothing in particular, something caught her attention.

Narrowing her eyes, Venus walked closer to the window, peering through the glass. As she watched, the moving shimmer in that air that had caught her eye stopped moving, landing in the empty parking lot across the street from Venus. Right before Venus's eyes, five teenagers appeared out of the nearly invisible shimmer. Venus frowned, confused.

Before she could question too much what was happening, one of the teenagers took off, disappearing in a blur of color too fast for even Venus's angel physiology to track. She blinked in shock, and then laughed out loud in delight.

She'd stumbled upon some superheroes.

"Grimalkin!" Venus called, shoving the window open. She swung her leg out and stepped onto the rickety fire escape. Her cat purred, following the demon down the metal ladder and onto the ground. Venus lowered herself to the ground, her heeled boots clicking against the asphalt. By the time she had reached them, the speedster had regrouped with his friends. Venus walked over to the group of teenagers; a broad smile fixed upon her face.

Hearing her footsteps, the Team turned to face the stranger approaching them. The girl looked about their age. She had dark wavy hair that hung loose to her waist, and her dark eyes were lined with artfully smudged makeup. She looked like she could be a civilian - besides her human appearance, she was dressed in civvies - a loose grey t-shirt tucked into a black leather skirt, and high-heeled shiny leather boots.

But there was something off about her. For one thing, a small cat was following her dutifully in a way that most animals don't to their owners. Furthermore, the was something about her features that gave her an ethereal quality, and something about her expression that put the Team on edge.

"Hello, there," the girl greeted them with a broad grin. Aqualad frowned, exchanging a wary look with Artemis.

"Who are you?" he asked her, concerned that she might've seen Kid Flash running at super-speed. Her grin stretched wider.

"Of course, how rude of me!" she exclaimed. "Venus Morningstar. Lovely to meet you all." The other teenagers stared at her in disbelief, and Venus frowned ever-so-slightly. People _never_ believed her.

"Venus..." the redhead she'd seen running at super-speed began. "_Morningstar?"_ The speedster grinned flirtatiously at the girl, sauntering up to her. "As in, the Devil? 'Cause I have to say, you look more like an _angel _to me." Venus stared at the boy with wide-eyes, and then burst out laughing. The speedster blinked, looking slightly offended.

"Pardon my rudeness," she apologized to him after she'd finished laughing. She grinned back at him just as flirtatiously. "It's just I _am _an angel." She smiled winningly. "A _fallen _angel." Then, frowning at her cat, who was winding around her legs and meowing plaintively, "Grim, beat it!"

The kitten hissed at her master, irritated that the teenager wasn't paying attention. Grimalkin was trying to alert her to the presence of several _so__meones _behind the group of teenagers, concealed from human view. The cat could sense them. Ignoring her hissing animal, Venus smiled at the group again.

"Anyways, we can skip the pleasantries for now," Venus said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She looked at the boy with the buzzed blonde hair, a smirk playing across her lips. "I'm going to help you find the Helmet of Fate."

The Team stared at the girl, shocked. None of them had any idea how this girl knew why they were there, but it was clear that she wasn't just a delusional teen. She knew _something. _Superboy studied Venus, feeling a strange mixture of confused, suspicious, and most of all, intrigued.

He couldn't tell why, but there was something very alluring about the girl. When she shifted her feet, her face was cast out of the shadows and into the light.

Illuminated by the moonlight of the sky, Superboy's sensitive eyes could just make out three thick silvery-white scars across the girl's face and neck, the highest one starting just underneath the outer corner of her eye and the lowest one in line with the bottom of her ear lobe. The old wounds, white with age, dragged across her cheek, through her lips, down her chin, and all the way through her throat, disappearing underneath the collar of her shirt. Whatever the wound had been, it seemed miraculous that she had survived it.

When she twisted her face out of the moonlight and turned to face Superboy, the scars were invisible again, as though there was some kind of glamour on top of them.

"Can I help you?" Superboy blinked, looking back up at the girl's amused eyes. He realized that he'd been staring. Instead of responding verbally, he shrugged tightly, embarrassed. Venus chuckled. Her eyes were gleaming.

As Venus checked him out curiously, she noticed the annoyed looks on the faces of the other two girls, clearly irritated by her interest in the boy. But she wasn't just looking at him because he was attractive - she'd gathered that he'd been staring at her scars, which humans shouldn't be able to see, and she was curious.

He was cute - several inches taller than Venus, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. He had dark tousled hair and bright blue eyes and oh - he was wearing a shirt with Superman's S shield on it. Venus made a noise of interest, causing the boy to look at her again, this time with confusion.

"Not that I've really been paying attention," Venus said, her lips turning upwards. "But I didn't know that Superman had a son." The boy's shoulders drew together tightly, his eyes flashing with anger.

"He _doesn't." _Venus arched an eyebrow, sweeping her eyes over the boy's form again. Clearly uncomfortable, he hunched his shoulders and scowled at the ground. The green-skinned girl stepped forward, frowning at Venus.

"Leave him alone," she ordered the other girl. Venus laughed, delighted.

"Protective, aren't we?" The Martian's cheeks reddened slightly, but she didn't break her gaze. Venus sighed. As much as she was enjoying this banter, she was quickly growing impatient. Every second they wasted here was a second that Klarion could already have his paws on the Helmet.

"It's not complicated," Venus insisted, changing the subject. She had a charming smile fixed into place, making sure her expression betrayed none of her worries. "You want to make sure Kent Nelson and the Helmet of Fate are safe. While I can assure you that that is presently _not _the case," Venus ignored the sharp intake of breath from the others, plowing on, "I can help you." The blonde girl crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing Venus suspiciously.

"How do we know we can trust you?" the girl asked Venus.

"Well, I guess you don't." The Team stared at her, looking unimpressed, and Venus sighed impatiently. "Oh, come on! The enemy of my enemy is my friend, no?" When that didn't convince anyone, she shrugged. "I'm incapable of lying," she told them. "Really. I do want to help."

That wasn't a lie - like she said, she _couldn't _lie. That was manipulation - she wanted to help them help her get the Helmet. But they didn't need to know the details, did they now? "Look," Venus began. "I imagine you have a key."

In response, the dark-skinned boy reached into his pocket. He opened his hand - Venus noticed that his fingers were webbed - revealing a large golden key. Engraved into the side in fancy script was the word "insert." Venus clapped her hands, delighted. This was going to be _much _easier than she thought.

"Marvelous!" she cheered. She bent down to scoop Grimalkin up, placing the cat on her shoulder. "Now, _think. _How to get into a _magic_ tower that clearly isn't here?" She waved a hand at the empty space in front of them, a grin stretched across her face. The boy looked down at the key, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"A test of faith," he murmured aloud, realizing. He looked at the others. "Stand behind me." He walked a few paces forward, so that he was standing several feet in front of the other teenagers. When the dark-skinned boy reached out into seemingly open space, the key disappeared until only the handle was left. He twisted the key, and there was a heavy _clunk _as the door unlocked.

When it did so, the tower came into view. The Tower of Fate was about fifty feet tall and shaped like a rook, made solely out of stone except for the wooden door.

"Brilliant," she murmured, her dark eyes full of glee. This was _much _further than she would have gotten otherwise. She clapped her hands. "Well, chop-chop, folks. Better get the move on! Go on then!" As she spoke, making shooing motions with her hands, the rest of the Team snapped out of their shock, and the boy with the key led the way into the building.

Venus made sure to walk in before the rest of the others - she certainly didn't want to be left behind. As she and the other teenagers stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind them before disappearing into solid stone. Superman's not-son turned around, alarmed.

"Uh, where'd the door go?"

Across the room, a shimmer of light flickered on. The hologram took shape of Kent Nelson, and began to speak.

"Greetings," the image said pleasantly. "You have entered with a key, but the Tower does not recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent." Out of the corner of her eye, Venus saw the speedster glance at the green-skinned girl behind him with grin fixed onto his face before he stepped forward, spreading his arms out wide.

"We are _true believers_," the redhead said. He had been attempting to sound awed, but succeeded only in sounding sarcastic. "Here to find _Doctor Fate."_ Venus's eyes narrowed dangerously. She _hated_ liars. The hologram frowned disappointedly before flickering and disappearing.

Scowling, Venus spun around, her heels clicking against the floor. She stalked up to the ginger, opening her mouth to yell at him. Before she could, an ominous creaking noise made her pause. Grimalkin hissed loudly, jumping off Venus's shoulder and skittering off to a corner of the room to cower in the shadow. Venus's eyebrows crept together as she stared nervously at the ground. There was another creak, and then the ground gave away beneath their feet, sending all six teenagers in a freefall to a pit of lava below.

Groaning in irritation, Venus summoned her wings. She felt the alignment of her body change as they appeared, and she angled herself downwards, grabbing onto the nearest of the other teens. It was Superman's not-son. She heard him grunt in surprise, but she simply tightened her grip on him and looked around.

"You have _wings?"_ the blonde girl said in surprise. She was crouched on the edge of the pit, her arm wrapped around the buzz-cut boy.

"Of course," Venus replied, surprised that they were surprised. "I _told _you I was a fallen angel."

The other teenagers were all accounted for. The green-skinned girl and the redheaded liar were floating next to Venus and Superboy, being held aloft by the girl's powers. The demon scowled, rising further into the air and beating her wings down in powerful strokes to keep them away from the lava. Next to Venus, the Martian was breathing heavily, dropping down slowly by the second.

"Having trouble...maintaining altitude," the girl panted, sounding exhausted. She swiped a hand across her forehead. "Gah, I'm so hot."

"You most certainly are," the boy in her arms said with a grin.

_"Kid Flash!"_ the blonde archer scolded from her position on the side of the pit. The boy – Kid Flash, apparently - whipped his head towards her, glaring.

"Hey! Inches above sizzling death, I'm entitled to speak my mind!" Venus rolled her eyes in irritation. Slightly above her head, the other boy from the group was speaking. He sounded weak.

"My physiology and Miss Martian's are susceptible to extreme heat," he said. "We must climb out quickly." Venus was a bit startled by that proclamation – she hadn't even noticed the heat. Growing up in Hell had made her quite immune to it, and she'd mostly cared about flying away from the lava to save her outfit. Her boots were _quite _expensive.

"_Hello_, Megan!" Miss Martian exclaimed, facepalming. "We never truly answered the question." She turned her face upwards, projecting her voice to the top of the pit. "Red Tornado sent us to see if Mr. Nelson and the Helmet were safe!" In response to her words, a platform closed over the lava, sealing it to a harmless floor. Venus lowered herself and Superman's not-son to the ground, and the Martian and Kid Flash both fell as the alien lost her strength. The blonde archer lowered herself and the last boy down as well.

Venus let go of Superman's not-son and stepped away, rolling her shoulders as her wings disappeared again. Superman's not-son shot her a grateful, slightly confused look.

"Thanks," he said. Venus shrugged, flipping her hand in a "don't-mention-it" kind of manner. She politely ignored how Superman's not-son and a few of the other teens were staring at the empty space behind her shoulders.

"This platform," the dark-skinned boy said, leaning down. He got on his hands and knees, pressing his palms onto the platform. "It should be red-hot, but it is cool to the touch." Venus ignored this statement, instead turning to glare at Kid Flash, who was helping Miss Martian to her feet.

"Don't worry, Megalicious," he was saying. "I got ya." The Martian smiled at the redhead gratefully, but Venus scowled.

"Are you actually stupid or do you just put on a very good act?" she asked him, crossing her arms over her chest. Kid Flash straightened up, looking offended at Venus's question. Before he could defend himself, the archer also began to berate Kid Flash.

"She's right, you know," the blonde snapped, stalking up to Kid Flash and shoving him against the side of the pit. "Your little 'impress Miss Martian at all costs' game nearly got us all _barbecued!" _Kid Flash threw his arms out wide in disbelief as he glared at the blonde and Venus.

"When did this become _my _fault?" he retorted defensively, his green eyes flashing angrily. Venus chuckled.

"So, he _is _actually stupid," she said aloud. Kid Flash's jaw tightened. "You lied to the Tower when you called yourself a true believed," Venus told Kid Flash. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I _hate _liars."

Kid Flash would never admit it, but something about Venus's statement sent a chill down his spine. Something about the way her eyes flashed, or maybe the tone of her voice, was _extremely _off-putting. Her statement was less of fact and more of - a _threat. _

"KF," Miss Martian said, sounding disappointed. "You don't believe?" The ginger glanced around, feeling trapped. He sighed.

"Fine! Fine!" He gave up his ruse. "I _lied _about believing in magic. But magic is the real lie - a _major _load!" He crossed his arms over his chest defensively. On the ground, the boy with the blonde buzz spoke quietly.

"Kid, I studied for a year at the conservatory of sorcery in Atlantis." Ah, so this boy was an _Atlantean. _"The mystic arts created the skin icons that power my water bearers." Venus looked at the Atlantean, noting the dark eel-shaped tattoos running up and down his forearms. Kid Flash snorted, unconvinced.

"Dude, you ever hear of bioelectricity?" Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "Hey, in primitive cultures _fire _was once considered magical, too." Venus arched an eyebrow, almost impressed by the boy's irreverence. "Today it's all just a bunch of tricks."

"You're pretty close-minded for a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers," the archer snapped. Kid Flash glared back at the girl – it seemed like these two could fight all day.

"That's _science," _Kid Flash spat witheringly. "I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment and – _here I am. _Everything can be explained by science." Venus chuckled, amused and deeply irritated by the speedster's stubborn attitude. Her eyes fell on the floor where the Atlantean was kneeling before a trapdoor. His words about the platforms temperature came back to her, and a wicked grin crossed her face.

"Oh, really?" Without another word, Venus bent down, wrapping her fingers around the handle of the trapdoor. She half-expected the Atlantean to protest, but the boy said nothing. However, Kid Flash's eyes flew wide.

"Wait!" he shouted, throwing a hand out futilely. "The back draft from the lava will roast us alive!" Venus snorted, yanking the door up. As predicted, instead of smoke and heat, a gust of cold wind and snow flew out.

"It's snow!" Miss Martian exclaimed. Venus made a face.

"Ugh," she said, ignoring the odd looks that Miss Martian and Superman's-not son shot her. Behind Venus, the blonde girl turned to face Kid Flash, a smug look on her face.

"Do you _ever _get tired of being wrong?" she asked the speedster sarcastically. Kid Flash glared back at her, a little embarrassed. The Atlantean stood up, stepping around the door and hopping through the hole in the ground. Venus and the others followed suit.

As she dropped through the hole, Venus noticed that the direction changed, making them fall sideways instead of down. She landed on the ground, grimacing in irritation as the snow crunched around her feet.

If her boots got ruined, she was going to _kill _Klarion. And maybe the annoying speedster, too.

As Kid Flash landed on the ground, the door that they'd come through snapped shut, disappearing completely. Kid Flash looked around, and the blonde archer looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Kid Flash turned back towards the group, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ever hear of string theory?" he asked, his chin jutting out at a stubborn tilt. "We're in a pocket dimension." Venus stared at Kid Flash in disbelief.

"Will you _ever _get your head out of your arse?" she asked him with a shake of her head. Kid Flash raised his eyebrow at her blunt statement, and the blonde snickered slightly.

"What's that?" Miss Martian asked suddenly, pointing towards the distance. Venus turned around, her eyes growing wide with excitement as she caught sight of Nelson's cane, surrounded by a shimmery golden light. The blonde girl walked over to it, curious.

"Ooh, maybe it's Nelson's magic wand," Kid Flash sneered sarcastically. Venus felt a rush of air as the speedster ran by her, appearing by the cane with a blink of the eye. Both the blonde girl and Kid Flash reached out for it, and Venus's eyes widened.

"Wait!" she began, thrusting a hand out. Before she could issue a proper warning, both teenagers had taken hold of the cane. Venus groaned.

"I got it," the two said simultaneously, glaring at one another. Then the cane began to glow, and Venus sighed again, closing her eyes. "I can't let go!" The two exclaimed in unison, yelling in surprise as the cane yanked them upwards before they disappeared with a flash. Venus pinched the bridge of her nose.

"And I _really _thought you guys would make this _faster," _she muttered, shaking her head in irritation. Superman's not-son gave her an odd look, and she sighed. "Come on, then. Let's find your irritating friends."

As the four teenagers walked, Venus managed to catch the rest of their names. The Atlantean was called Aqualad, and the blonde one was Artemis. Superman's not-son was Superboy.

How creative.

"I don't understand Kid Flash," Miss Martian said after a few moments of silence. The wind tousled her red hair, blowing it against her cheeks. "It's almost like he needs to believe the impossible can't happen." Aqualad turned to the Martian.

"Kid uses his understanding of science to control what he cannot comprehend," the Atlantean explained. "Acknowledging the existence of magic would be to relinquish the last vestige of that control." Venus rolled her eyes.

While Aqualad and Miss Martian were conversing, Superboy was watching Venus. Something the way the light reflected off the snow made it easy to the see the scars once more, and he couldn't help his curiosity.

"What are the scars from?" Superboy asked Venus. She turned to him, surprised. Venus traced her fingers down the marks thoughtfully. They were nearly invisible to the human eye with her focused glamour. If she didn't try to hide them, they'd be visible even in her angel form. It made sense that Superboy's could see them better, though – he was a Kryptonian, so she knew his vision was enhanced.

"Pissed off a hellhound when I was a kid," she replied easily. She grimaced at the memory - it was one of the only times she'd ever experienced true pain. She could still feel the hound's claws ripping through her supposedly indestructible skin and bone like it was butter. "Nasty little buggers." Superboy blinked in surprise at her answer.

Unbeknownst to Venus, the Team had had a telepathic conversation with one another upon her arrival – about whether they could trust her. Though they'd eventually come to the conclusion that she might be useful, they'd all assumed that she was just a human with some knowledge about the supernatural (Wally had scoffed at that).

After her wings appeared, they'd had another conversation - maybe she was Thanagarian, or a genetically-modified human. They still hadn't quite believed the "angel" thing, not enough to really consider it. But now Superboy wasn't as sure.

A crackling sound caught the teenagers' attention. Superboy and Venus looked to their right, where they saw that a door had appeared at the top of a small mountain. Venus smirked, changing direction immediately and running to it. The others followed her.

Venus was the first to step through the door. As she stepped through it, it changed direction once more and she found herself falling to the ground. Venus landed roughly with an annoyed grunt, but managed to get out of the way before being crushed by the other teens.

Getting to her feet, Venus looked around. Nelson, Kid Flash, and Artemis were standing only a few feet away, in front of a golden bell. A jolt of excitement went through Venus as she rushed up to join Nelson and Kid Flash. Artemis passed her, going the opposite direction to help her friends.

"Friends of yours?" Nelson asked Kid Flash with a chuckle. Venus ducked behind the speedster, hoping that Nelson hadn't seen her face. She knew he would recognize her, and she also knew he wouldn't be happy that she was there.

A jolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere, and Venus ducked. She looked up, her eyes blazing with fury as she saw Klarion and his stupid cat and Abra Kadabra standing a few levels above them.

"Friends of yours?" Kid Flash said sarcastically, getting to his feet. Nelson didn't respond, instead whacking his cane against the giant golden bell. It rang loudly and began to glow. Nelson stepped through it, and Venus was quick to follow.

The bell let them out onto the roof of the Tower and floating in the center was the Helmet. Venus's eyes glowed brightly. She was _so close. _Nelson reached for the Helmet, and Klarion appeared on the other side of the room. The Lord of Chaos thrust out his hand, sending a bolt of dark energy straight at Nelson. The spell caught him in the chest, making him stumble backwards with a shout of pain.

"Mr. Nelson!" Kid Flash shouted, catching the man as he fell backwards. Nelson groaned in pain, staggering to his feet. He lifted the cane above his head, muttering a spell in Latin.

"_Certe Toto sentio nos in kansate non iam adesse!" _As he uttered the last word, his cane glowed with light, and he brought it down upon the ground, forming a golden dome around him, Kid Flash, Venus, and the Helmet.

Klarion's spell bounced off the shield, and Venus cackled gleefully. "No!" Klarion shouted angrily. A wicked smirk on her face, Venus stepped up to take hold of the Helmet. But when she grasped it, she cried out in pain as a sharp stinging sensation radiated from the palms of her hand up through her arms.

Venus staggered backwards, holding her hands in front of her face. They were burned and blistered, rubbed raw from touching the Helmet. Venus scowled.

"Holy water…" she muttered with a loud groan. She whipped around the glare at Nelson. "You – !" The elderly man laughed loudly.

"Did you think I didn't notice you, Devil-Spawn?" Nelson grunted with a smirk. "You're not getting the Helmet…either." Kid Flash looked at Venus in surprise, and she growled. Nelson laughed again, more weakly this time. "Not bad for a former 'Doctor Fake,' eh, kid?" Nelson grunted again, falling to his knees. Kid Flash caught the elderly man, his green eyes full of fear as Venus seethed quietly in the corner. "The bubble will give you just enough time to do what you need to do."

"I have no idea what I need to do!" Kid Flash exclaimed, green eyes wide.

"Have faith in what you can't explain," Nelson whispered. He reached a trembling hand into his breast pocket, pulling out his pocket watch. "Believe in what you can no longer deny." Nelson took one last shaky breath, and then fell limp, the pocket watch falling from his hand to the floor next to him.

Venus growled in frustration, stepping up to the edge of the bubble and pressing her hand against it. She could hear Kid Flash behind her, desperately trying to revive Nelson, but she knew the old man was gone. Still, Kid Flash's attempt to resuscitate him bought her a little time, so she didn't intervene.

As Venus stared at him, Klarion continued to hurl bolts of dark magic at the golden dome. "I want that Helmet and I want it now!" he wailed. Venus's lip curled in irritation, and she watched as a red circle began to form around Klarion as he summoned more power. He whipped his hands back, drawing energy into the form of enormous red claws.

The claws punctured holes in Fate's shield, making scraping noises as they popped through. Klarion reared his hands backwards and the claws tightened, ripping the shield to pieces.

Venus stepped in front of Kid Flash, throwing out her hands at taking the full force of Klarion's magic blast. She grimaced – Klarion was powerful enough for her to actually feel some pain, even if it didn't affect her that much. Throwing her own hands out, Venus put a wall of holy fire up between her and Klarion – the barrier would absorb his magic for a little while.

Turning around, Venus saw Kid Flash's shell-shocked expression. Under other circumstances, she would have laughed. But now she had no time.

"Put the Helmet on my head," Venus demanded. Kid Flash stared at her.

"W – What?" he stammered. Venus knelt down in front of Kid Flash, looking him deep in the eye. He blinked once, and then stared back at her, his mouth slightly open.

"Kid Flash," she said quietly, alluringly. She narrowed her eyes slightly, mustering up as much sweetness in her gaze as she could. "Put the Helmet…on my head." Kid Flash nodded slowly, reaching up to grasp the Helmet painlessly and give it to Venus.

Venus closed her eyes in glee, feeling the metal of the Helmet brush her ears. Before he could fully lower it onto her head, however, one of Klarion's giant claws closed around Venus's waist. It picked her up, tossing her aside and out of reach from Kid Flash.

Venus hit the ground with a loud grunt, rolling to the stop a few yards away. She watched as Kid Flash blinked a few times, her spell breaking. He stared at the Helmet in his hands, and then down at Nelson's body. "A test of faith," he mumbled to himself, plunging the Helmet down on his head.

There was a flash of golden light, and when it cleared, Doctor Fate stood in Kid Flash's place. Venus snarled, enraged.

"You _fool!" _Venus shouted at Kid Flash's body. She stood up, her eyes blazing with fury. From inside the Helmet, Kid Flash took a step back. Shocked though his host was by the girl's sudden anger, Doctor Fate didn't even flinch. "GIVE IT TO ME!" she roared, her beautiful appearance melting away to show her demon face.

Venus rose to her feet. The sneer on her face was made much more terrifying by her transformation. Instead of the beautiful human girl she had been before, she was now a demon. Her skin was red and burnt looking, and her hair had disappeared. Her eyes were gaping sockets, and her delicately painted fingernails had transformed into curved talons.

Beating her now-leathery, bat-like wings outwards, Venus rose into the air. She spread her arms to the side, summoning her holy fire. As she did so, a tiny flame lit deep in her eye sockets, and flames flickered around her skull, giving her a mane of fiery hair.

Venus thrust her hand outward, and holy fire curled around her wrist. She had been intended to send a blast of holy fire at Doctor Fate. But before she could, she paused, considering.

_If I help Nabu now, _she thought, _I can convince him to release Kid Flash and get the Helmet! _

Spinning around, Venus redirected her blast – straight at Klarion. The Witch Boy conjured a shield, managing to absorb the fire before it hit him. Venus swept forward, and Klarion shot a blast of dark energy straight at her chest.

The blow pushed Venus backwards through the air, and she had to pause to regain her balance. As soon as she was out of the way, Klarion returned to attacking Doctor Fate.

"Give it up, Nabu!" Klarion shouted, hurling dark magic at Fate's ankh. "Order went out of style in the Twentieth Century." Fate's eyes narrowed behind the Helmet.

"This battle is pointless," Doctor Fate replied, his deep voice overlapping with Wally's. "You both sought to take the Helmet before it claimed a host. You are too late."

"Shut it, you old fart!" Klarion responded, scowling at being reminded of his failure. Venus straightened up indignantly.

"Hey!" she said. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm _helping _you." Doctor Fate chuckled darkly. Without warning, he whirled around, sending a bolt of golden light. It solidified around Venus in a band, trapping her arms and wings by her side. She fell from the sky, hitting the ground with a grunt.

"We both know that you only help yourself, Devil-Spawn," the Lord of Order responded. Venus struggled against her bonds futilely, knowing that even her strength was no match for Fate's magic. She focused her energy on her holy fire, trying to burn through the band. As she lay trapped, Klarion and Fate continued to fight one another.

The two should have been equally matched, but Klarion got the upper hand several times in a row. The Lord of Chaos was winning.

"You're out of practice, Nabu," Klarion gloated as Fate fell to the ground with a grunt. "And that pathetic host body – zero affinity for the mystic arts." Venus rolled her eyes – for once, the annoying boy was right.

"If _I _had the Helmet on," Venus muttered. Fate's band was finally starting to burn. "Klarion wouldn't stand a _chance." _Klarion raised his hands above his hand, conjuring up a storm. He channeled a bolt of lightning, but Fate raised a dome up before the electricity could hit him. Klarion sneered.

"Ooh, _rainbow _power," the boy said sarcastically. Venus grunted, focusing as hard as she could. Smoke curled up through the air as the holy fire began to break through Doctor Fate's bond. Seeing this, Klarion's cat, Teekl, meowed. "I _am _paying attention, you stupid cat," Klarion snapped.

_"_Mur_– row!" _Teekl insisted.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm _winning!" _Klarion continued, not noticing Venus as she rose to her feet. The demon lifted her hand outwards, holy fire coiling around her wrist. She clenched her hand into a fist, and the holy fire whipped outwards, hitting Klarion in the chest. The Lord of Chaos cried out in pain as he staggered backwards, his shirt smoldering.

"Mur – row!" Teekl sing-songed as Klarion beat the flames out. The cat clearly meaning: "I told you so."

Venus's attack had distracted Klarion long enough for Doctor Fate to recover. The Lord of Order summoned energy, a golden glow surrounding his body. Nabu thrust his arms out, sending the mystic energy outwards. It was powerful enough to destroy his own shield and cause an explosion that sent both Venus and Klarion sliding backwards.

Venus opened her eyes again after she had squeezed them shut against the heat of the explosion. Debris scattered the ground, and Fate's mystic energy surrounded him in golden flames.

"It is difficult for a Lord of Order or Chaos to maintain a presence on the physical plane," Doctor Fate said. Klarion's eyes went wide, and then narrowed angrily again. A red glow surrounded Klarion and his cat, and the Lord of Chaos's appearance became more demonic.

Fate rose to the air, dodging Klarion's blasts of mystic energy as he continued to speak. "I am bound to the Helmet and use a human host," Fate said. He threw an ankh at Klarion, who rose the ground around him to make a shield. "But that is not your way." Venus's eyes stretched wide, realizing what Fate was talking about.

Raising her wrist, Venus summoned her holy fire once again. As the flames flickered around her arm and formed into her hand, she pressed it into a ball.

"You're babbling, Nabu!" Klarion shouted angrily, his eyes now bright red. Venus smirked.

"Is he?" she asked innocently. Then she took a step back, aiming carefully before hurling the ball of flames. Klarion threw up a shield, but her attack flew harmlessly past Klarion, and hitting Teekl in the chest. The cat hissed loudly, and then yelped as it was flung back over the ground. Klarion whirled around.

"Teekl!" he shouted. He swung around on Venus, glaring at her. "I can't _believe _you would assault a defenseless pussycat!" Venus crossed her arms over her chest, her mouth twisting.

"You're telling me," she sniffed. "I _like _cats. But I hate you more."

"We all know that is creature is no cat, Witch Boy," Doctor Fate said. "And without your familiar, you have no anchor in this reality." Sure enough, Klarion began to flicker in and out of existence. The Lord of Chaos clenched his hands into fists, swinging around and glaring at Venus and Doctor Fate.

"Bully!" he shouted at Venus, before swinging onto Doctor Fate. "Killjoy! _Geezer!" _Venus rolled her eyes, growing annoyed. Before she could attack him, Doctor Fate had sent another blast of energy at the villain. Klarion's eyes went wide. "Holy carp!" he shouted, jumping backwards into a portal. He appeared next to Teekl, scooping his familiar up. "We're out of here!" he announced, disintegrating into dark energy.

"_Finally_," Venus muttered. She walked over to Doctor Fate, who was still floating a few feet up. She beat her leathery wings so that she was hovering next to him. "You gonna let the annoying speedster go, old man?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. Beneath the Helmet, Kid Flash's green eyes narrowed.

"No," the Lord of Order replied. "The Earth needs Doctor Fate. I will not release this body." Venus curled her lip in irritation.

"Let him go," she cajoled. "I'll take care of the Helmet." Not a lie. "I know some people in Heaven who would love to protect it." Also not a lie. She just didn't say she'd give it to them.

"I will not fall for your half-truths, Devil-Spawn," Doctor Fate responded. Venus glared at the Lord of Order. She thought for a moment.

"You should let the boy go," she told Doctor Fate. "He doesn't deserve to be trapped in there." The sorcerer scoffed.

"We both know you do not care for this boy's life," the sorcerer replied. Venus sighed. Then Doctro Fate was silent for a few moments. He hovered in front of Venus, eyes focused on the distance, before he lowered himself to the ground and reached up to remove the helmet. Venus blinked in surprise, landing on the ground as well. Kid Flash stood in front of her, holding the Helmet.

"What convinced him?" Venus asked. "I know it wasn't me." Kid Flash turned around, looking across the rooftop at Nelson's body.

"Nelson did," Kid Flash replied, sounding both awed and sad. He looked at Venus, raising an eyebrow. "Um, not to be rude, but what's going on with your…" Kid Flash waved a hand at her. "All of that?" Venus laughed.

"Oh, right," she said. Her image flickered, and she returned to her previous appearance of a teenage girl. She smiled at Kid Flash mischievously. "What, am I not pretty without my makeup on?" The speedster blinked, unsure of what to say.

"Um…" Venus chuckled, taking a step closer to Kid Flash. She locked gazes with him again, and once again Kid Flash's eyes became hooded and dazed.

"Give me the Helmet," Venus purred. She stretched her hands out, wrapping them carefully around the rim. Her palms were still blistered and raw from the holy water, but it seemed to have evaporated during the battle as she felt no pain touching the metal. Venus smiled. "Thank you!" she said, pulling the Helmet from Kid Flash's hands. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Venus flounced off to the edge of the room, whistling for Grimalkin. She hadn't seen the kitten since after she'd entered the Tower, but she had no doubt that the kitten wasn't far off. Venus turned back to Kid Flash. He was staring at her, unsure of what was happening. "Thank you _so _much for your help," Venus said with a smile, stepping backwards off the roof.

The demon landed at the base of the Tower of Fate, a broad grin on her face. She cradled the Helmet in her arms like it was a baby, holding to her chest tightly. She didn't want to risk losing it for a second.

Humming cheerfully to herself, Venus set off across the grassy lawn. She wanted to get to her hotel and pack up her things before heading off to – well, she wasn't exactly sure. Her father was being a pain at the moment, so she wasn't exactly dying to go back to Los Angeles.

Venus tilted her head, thinking. _Maybe Madrid, _she thought to herself. _Mm…or Paris._

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice a portal opening up behind her. Out of it stepped a slightly disheveled looking man with blonde hair and a trench coat. He scanned the lawn, his eyes falling on the demon's disappearing form. The man raised his hand.

"_Obligaverit__!" _he muttered under his breath; his eyes focused on Venus.

The demon gasped in surprise as she found her arms suddenly yanked behind her back. A coil surrounded them, making her lose her balance and fall to her knees. The Helmet hit the ground with a clatter.

_"Et laqueum diaboli!" _Venus's eyes flew wide as she realized what was happening. She struggled to get to her feet in time. A pentagram appeared around her, encircling her completely. She was trapped.

The man who had cast the spells walked over to her casually. He reached into the pentagram, snatching the Helmet of Fate off of the floor and tucking it under his arm. He surveyed the demon he had trapped in a sort of exhausted manner. He had been looking for her for weeks.

"Venus," he greeted her with a weary sigh. The teenager smiled back at him winningly.

"Well, _hello _there, John Constantine," Venus said with faux-surprise. "The _Hellblazer_." Venus got to her feet. "You know, I'm sure my father would be _very pleased _if you just let me out." She coated her voice with suggestion, but Constantine knew better. He avoided eye contact, knowing that even though the pentagram sapped her powers, he couldn't be too careful.

"Nice try, love," he told her. "But your father was the one who sent me." He couldn't resist looking back to see her reaction. Venus's smug expression flickered for a half of a second, and then she threw her head back, cackling.

"Oh, so you're running _errands _for my father now? _Babysitting _me?" Venus shook her head, leaning as close to Constantine as the barrier would allow. "What do you think is going to happen?" she asked him, almost amused. "My father may have changed since coming to Earth, but he isn't _soft." _Constantine stared back at her resolutely, his jaw twitching ever-so-slightly. Venus chuckled, and when she continued her voice, barely above a whisper, was stone cold.

"Your soul is still _doomed, _John."

* * *

"What do you _mean _you lost the Helmet?" Kaldur was asking Wally in disbelief as the Team exited the Tower. Wally shook his head. He was confounded himself, not to mention guilty – now Kent had basically given up his soul for nothing.

"I don't know!" Wally insisted. "One minute I had it and then the next it was gone!" The speedster shook his head. "Venus took it somehow; I just don't know." The rest of the Team stared at him, and Wally spread his hands. "Hey, she had like fire hair and – and no eyes and batwings and _talons! _And then she went back to normal and…" Wally's voice trailed off as his eyes fell on the girl standing only a few yards away. There was a man next to her. "There she is!"

The Team ran up to Venus. The man standing next to her shot the Team a surprised look. Wally noticed that he had the Helmet propped under his arm like a football. Upon getting a closer look, Kaldur recognized the man.

"John Constantine," the Atlantean said in surprise. The Hellblazer was an ally of the League's, and though no member of the Team had ever met him, they had all heard of him. Constantine cocked his head in surprise. He had no idea what these kids were doing there. Realizing they were in civvies, Kaldur stepped forward to introduce himself. "I am Aqualad," he said, offering his hand to shake Constantine's. The elder man eyes fell on the webs between Kaldur's fingers and nodded.

"Right, then," he said, shaking the Atlantean's hand. He glanced down at the Helmet of Fate in his hands and then held it out to the Team. "I suppose I can trust you with this." Wally stepped forward gratefully, taking the Helmet of Fate and holding it carefully in his hands. He frowned at Venus, slightly confused.

"Why did you betray us?" Superboy asked Venus, his brow furrowed. Constantine cast a surprised look at Superboy, waiting for the punchline. When nothing came, Constantine threw his had back and barked out a laugh.

"I'm sorry," he said, glancing at Kaldur. "You didn't _really _think you could trust this girl, did you?" The Team exchanged confused looks and Constantine groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Oh, you have no idea who she is," he said with an exasperated sigh. "Wonderful."

"Who _is _she?" Miss Martian asked curiously, looking at Venus again. Constantine gave Venus and expectant look, but the demon said nothing, continuing to sulk in silence.

"She's Venus Morningstar, the daughter of Lucifer," Constantine responded. A couple members on the Team gave him dubious looks, and Constantine shrugged. "It's true. Her father retired from Hell to run a piano bar in Los Angeles called Lux. She just manipulated you into thinking you needed her help, when really she needed yours."

The Team didn't respond. They were all still staring at Venus in disbelief. Even though she'd told them she was a fallen angel, and they'd seen her wings, they hadn't really believed her story. Most of them just suspected she was playing a role of some kind as a joke.

"You're…the daughter…of the _Devil?" _Artemis asked in shock. Venus shrugged.

"Didn't I _say _that?" Wally was staring at Venus in slight disappointment. Despite what had happened, he'd kind of hoped she'd actually wanted to help them and that there was another reason that she'd taken off with the Helmet.

"You're just like Klarion," the speedster said with a frown. Venus scowled at that comparison.

"Oh, _please _don't compare me to him," she said with a mournful sigh. "I'm not _nearly _so annoying." Constantine rolled his eyes. _I beg to differ, _he thought to himself. The man cleared his throat.

"Well, anyways," he said, clapping his hands together. "I've got to return this one to her father," he said, gesturing at Venus. "And I assume you lot must have someone you need to report to, so we'll just be on our way."

As if she'd been listening in and just waiting for the right moment to appear, Venus's cat came strolling up to the group. The black kitten walked straight through the pentagram and sat down at Venus's feet, coiling her tail neatly around her paws.

"Is your cat _magic?" _Miss Martian asked with wide eyes. None of them had seen Grimalkin since before the lava pit, but here she was, completely unharmed. Venus stared at Grimalkin. The kitten was licking at her paw demurely. The demon sighed.

"No, but don't all cats have the ability to just randomly appear?" she muttered. She rolled her shoulders backwards uncomfortably – the bonds Lucifer had put her in were irritatingly tight. "Come on, Grim," she said, sighing again. "It's time to face Father."

* * *

**LOS ANGELES  
****August 20, 00:07 PDT**

Constantine's portal took them directly into the building of Lux, depositing them just outside Lucifer's office. Grimalkin immediately took off, running down the hallway and disappearing into Venus's bedroom. The demon looked after her in dismay.

"Traitor," Venus muttered, scowling. Her father's right-hand-woman, Mazikeen, was standing in front of the doors, and her lips twitched in mild amusement. "Hi, Maze," Venus sighed. The woman was something like her older sister, nanny, and bodyguard rolled all into one. Maze smiled at Venus with a mixture of sympathy and disapproval in her expression.

"Let her out," Maze ordered Constantine, nodding at the pentagram encircling Venus's feet. The sorcerer muttered a Latin spell underneath his breath, and the symbol flickered and then disappeared. The bonds around Venus's wrists fell loose and the demon stretched her arms out, trying to get blood flowing back into them.

Shaking out her wrists, Venus glanced at Maze nervously. "Is he mad?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly despite her best efforts to remain calm. Maze's face twitched.

"Well…" she said. Before the demon could finish her thought, the doors swung open. Lucifer stood before the group of three. The Devil arched an eyebrow, looking at his daughter expectantly. Venus sighed.

"Hello, Father," she mumbled. Lucifer smiled back.

"Venus," he greeted her. He nodded at Maze and Constantine. "Thank you, John, Maze. Wait out here, please," he requested. Without waiting for their response, Lucifer turned around, sweeping back into his office. Venus followed him, trepidation curling inside her.

When Venus stepped through the doors, Lucifer was already back at his desk, studying a file on his desk. Venus shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you know why I left Hell?" Lucifer asked his daughter. Venus didn't answer, so Lucifer continued. "To _retire, _darling. I wanted peace and quiet, relaxation." He reached over to pick up the folder he'd been looking at and tossed it to Venus, who caught it reflexively. She opened it – inside was her police file, listing every infraction she'd been arrested for in the last year since she and her father had left Hell. The list was several pages long.

Petty larceny, public intoxication, moving violations, underage drinking, trespassing…the list went on and on. Venus bit the inside of her cheek.

"Tell me," Lucifer said, standing up from his desk and walking over to his daughter. "Does responding to _each _and _every _one of your petty crimes, oh, every other _day _seem _relaxing _to you?" Venus swallowed hard; her fingers wrapped loosely around the file.

"N – no," she whispered, looking at the ground. She couldn't meet her father's eye.

"No," Lucifer repeated more decisively. "It's not."

Venus swallowed hard, staring at the pattern on the carpet. She traced it with the pointy tip of her boot, thinking of a way to rectify her mistakes.

"I'm sorry," Venus said sincerely. "I didn't mean to upset you, Father, I was just having some fun." Lucifer's eyes flashed, and Venus continued hastily, realizing that she had said the wrong thing. "I – I mean…" she took a deep breath. "I'll change my records!" She exclaimed. "Put someone else down as my guardian, maybe Maze, so they won't – so they won't bother you anymore." Lucifer raised an eyebrow.

"Hm," he said thoughtfully. "You know, that's not a bad idea." Venus relaxed, sighing in relief. But Lucifer wasn't finished. "Not a bad idea, _if _I didn't want to take responsibility for you." Venus froze, recognizing her dad's tone. "But I do," Lucifer said. "You're my daughter." He paused to think.

"So…?" Venus asked. She really wanted him to get to the point. Lucifer nodded.

"_So, _you're rebelling," he said, walking over to the bar and pouring himself a glass of scotch. Venus eyed the bar, regretfully deciding that it was probably a bad move for her to ask for a drink. "When I rebelled, my father banished me." Lucifer chuckled. "I certainly learned my lesson. Maybe I should do the same." Venus rolled her eyes.

"_Fine, _I'll go back home," she said, thinking her father wanted her to return to Hell. Lucifer turned around, facing his daughter. He laughed.

"Home?" he repeated. "Oh, no, no, no. You _liked _Hell. That wouldn't be punishment." Lucifer shook his head. "No, I'm banishing you…" he thought for a moment, trying to think what place would best teach his daughter a lesson. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him. "Aha!" he said. "Constantine!"

The man entered the room when Lucifer called, looking slightly bored and annoyed. Just because he was running errands for the Devil, didn't mean that he liked it. "Yes?" he asked with a sigh. He searched his pockets for his cigarettes and lighter. Lucifer smirked.

"I heard that my daughter was caught tricking a team of superpowered teenagers, no?" he asked. "The Justice League's sidekicks." Constantine nodded as he opened the box of cigarettes and stuck one between his teeth. He wasn't quite sure where Lucifer was going with this. Lucifer smiled. "Perfect," he said with satisfaction. He turned towards Venus. "Repeat after me," he told her. Venus's eyes went wide.

"No," she said, realizing what her father was about to make her do. "Father, _really?" _Lucifer's eyes narrowed.

"Repeat. After. Me," he ground out. Venus sighed, and then nodded. Lucifer smiled again, his angry visage vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. "Excellent! I was going to make you swear on a Bible, but," he looked down at her palms, still blistered from the holy water. "Seems you've had enough torture for one day. Now, let's begin." Lucifer stepped forward, carefully running through the words in his mind to make sure there were no loopholes.

"I, Venus Morningstar," he began. Venus rolled her eyes at the theatricality, and then repeated the words. Lucifer continued. "Promise to assist and help the team I tricked tonight to the best of my ability, in any way I can." Lucifer paused. "Until the New Year." Venus groaned, and Lucifer raised an eyebrow. She sighed.

"Promise to assist and help the team I tricked tonight to the best of my ability, in any way I can..." She closed her eyes, sighing again. "Until the New Year." Lucifer smiled wickedly, chuckling. Constantine stared at the two Morningstars with disbelief, his unlit cigarette hanging from his lip. Venus crossed her arms over her chest, glowering at the ground.

"You know, Venus, when you think about it," Lucifer said as he took another sip of his drink. "We're not so different from superheroes ourselves. We enjoy punishing bad people, too." Venus scowled, not buying into her father's false charm.

"So why don't you join the Justice League and let me be?" She asked bitterly, glaring at one of the walls in her father's dark office. Lucifer chuckled. The Devil turned to Constantine, who had been watching the exchange in utter disbelief.

"You're bloody insane," Constantine proclaimed with a shake of his head. He flicked the flame of his lighter on, and smoke curled from his mouth as he mumbled around the now-lit cigarette. "There's no way in hell the Justice League will ever agree to this." Lucifer raised an eyebrow.

"No way in Hell?" The Devil repeated, amused. Constantine sighed, regretting his choice of words. Lucifer swirled his scotch around in the glass thoughtfully before draining the rest of it. He smirked. "Well. Good thing we're not _in _Hell, eh?"

* * *

"…so, just think of Venus as your children's guardian angel," Lucifer finished his spiel, looking at the assembled members of the Justice League and their sidekicks. He laughed lightly at his own joke. "Their _fallen _guardian angel."

The League members had stayed silent throughout Lucifer's entire explanation, and now they were exchanging dubious looks. Batman was the first to speak.

"Absolutely not," he said. He looked at Constantine disapprovingly. "Constantine, what were you thinking?" Constantine sighed, spreading his hands outwards. He had no explanation – the truth was, he didn't really have a choice. When Lucifer asked him to do something, he couldn't very well refuse. Lucifer practically owned the Brit's soul. Lucifer frowned at Batman's statement.

"Well, that's unfortunate," he said. "But you see, Batman, that's not really how this works." Lucifer smiled charmingly. "My daughter agreed to help your team. Her word is bond – she _cannot _go back on it. Whether you like it or not – whether _she _likes it or not, really – she will be looking after them for the next six months." Lucifer turned to his daughter. "Venus, tell them."

Venus didn't respond. Childish though it was, she'd been giving her father the silent treatment ever since he'd made her swear to help the team. Lucifer frowned at his daughter's stubborn silence and she dropped her gaze, glaring stubbornly at the ground. Constantine sighed, finally speaking up.

"Batman, I know that this sounds like," Constantine said quietly, running a hand through his hair. "But I can assure you – the only thing Venus has promised to do is unconditionally help the Team. She would truly be an asset." Batman's eyes narrowed behind his cowl.

The Dark Knight turned around, facing the members of the Justice League and the Team. All of the Team's mentors were there, so he looked to see if any of them had any protests. Like him, most seemed rather dubious about the whole situation but not truly concerned.

The Justice League had known that Lucifer had been on Earth for a while, and they had quickly deduced that the Devil was more interested in partying and drinking than raising any form of hell. His daughter, on the other hand, seemed to be a rebellious teenager and nothing more.

Besides, Batman _did _trust Constantine. If he vouched for Venus, then she couldn't be that bad.

"Fine," Batman said after a long moment. Lucifer grinned broadly.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Here you are," Lucifer said to his daughter, handing her a small wooden box that he'd had tucked under his arm. She stared at him, and he rolled his eyes, taking one of her hands and forcing her to hold it. "It's a gift, dear. Don't say I never gave you anything," he told her. He glanced around. "Where _is _that annoying cat of yours?"

As if on cue, Grimalkin came streaking through the open portal. She landed at Venus's feet. Picking up on the demon's feelings, the cat glared at Lucifer reproachfully.

"Right then," Lucifer said. He turned around. "Now, I'll be off, and Venus can move in."

The Team members had been silent throughout the entire exchange, but now they traded surprised looks. There was a conspicuous lack of bags and boxes surrounding Venus, considering that she was meant to be staying until the New Year.

"Right now?" Artemis asked in surprise, the first Team member to speak up. She gestured to the empty floor around Venus. "I mean…doesn't she need like clothes, or anything?" Lucifer glanced at his daughter and then shrugged.

"No," he decided. Venus scowled at her dad and Lucifer held up his hands. "Oh, please," he said. "I'm doing you a favor, dear. You love to shop." Venus didn't answer, and Lucifer sighed. He reached forwards, taking his daughter's chin in his hand and forcing her to look him in the eyes. Venus wrenched her face out of her father's grasp and turned away. He arched an eyebrow. "Not going to say good-bye to your old dad, then?"

She tightened her grip around the cardboard box he'd given her, struggling not to cry. Lucifer shrugged. He was used to his daughter's temper tantrums. "Oh, well."

Lucifer stepped back through Constantine's swirling portal and disappeared, abandoning his only daughter with a group of strangers. Constantine sighed, shooting the League members one last apologetic look as he closed the portal. Venus closed her eyes, trying to control her anger and hurt.

_This is going to be absolute _hell.

* * *

Venus set the box her father had given her down on her bed. After a few moments of awkward silence after the departure of her father, Batman had instructed Miss Martian to show Venus to her room. While Constantine had stayed behind with the League members, likely to go over logistics of Venus's stay, the demon had been taken to a corridor filled with spacious bedrooms and been given time to "settle in."

The demon looked around. The room was pretty bare. There was a bed, a closet, a desk with a chair, and a dresser and not much else. It was likely no one had lived there before her.

Venus had very few belongings with her at the moment. She'd left everything - suitcase, phone, wallet, etc. - in the hotel room when she'd gone to meet up with the Team, and Constantine hadn't been exactly receptive to the idea of letting her pick them up before delivering her to her father. Besides the clothes she was wearing, she had Grimalkin, a pentacostal coin that she carried everywhere, and the box her father had gifted her.

She sat down on the bed next to the box and debated whether or not she should decorate in addition to buying necessities. Six months wasn't _that _long, and normally she wouldn't have bothered, but buying expensive decorations and clothes could potentially piss off her father, and at the moment she was willing to take any opportunity to do that.

But then, he'd given her permission to do just that, so maybe he wouldn't be angry after all. Ugh.

Venus stood up and kicked the bedpost in frustration, a deep scowl etched onto her face. Grimalkin meowed plaintively from behind her, and Venus sighed. She scooped up the kitten, stroking her head apologetically, but Grim squirmed in her arms and leapt back onto the floor. Venus frowned.

"So, you're abandoning me, too, now?" she muttered sadly. Grimalkin didn't respond, and Venus sighed. She turned back to the box and fiddled with the clasp of the box. Taking a deep breath, she opened it. Inside the box, nestled in a bunch of loose paper, were two leather whip hilts – but they were lacking the whip part.

Confused, Venus reached into the box. As soon as she wrapped her hand around one of the hilts, she realized why the whip part was missing. She picked up the weapon and flicked her wrist as if snapping the whip.

A band of holy fire flickered out of the hilt, sending sparks over the room.

Venus almost smiled. The whips were an extension of her powers, giving her a little more control over her holy fire. When she reached into the box to pick up the other one, one of the papers caught her eye.

Venus picked it up, scanning it with a furrowed brow. She read the words: _shoplifting, _and immediately realized what her father had done – her "present" had been wrapped with copies of the papers from her police file.

Frustrated, Venus whipped around, scattering the loose papers all over the room. She watched them fall to the ground, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger. Grimalkin stood up indignantly as the papers began to shower down around her.

But as she watched the papers' descent, and Grim's adverse reaction, time literally slowed down. The papers' movement became almost imperceptible, and Grim froze in place as well. Venus sighed, knowing exactly what was happening.

"What do you want, Cassie?" Venus groaned, closing her eyes to try and control her irritation. He was the absolute _last _person she wanted to deal with right now.

"I can't check in on my favorite cousin?" Scowling, the demon turned around. Her cousin, the angel Castiel, was standing behind her. Venus smiled thinly.

"I'm not your favorite." Venus sat down on her bed with a thump, toeing off her boots so that she was just wearing her sheer knee-length stockings. The dark-skinned boy stepped towards further into her room, brushing the airborne papers she'd tossed out of his way. A couple of them had hit the floor before Cass had showed up, but most of them were still fluttering downwards in a slow descent.

Castiel was Amenadiel's son and had inherited his father's irritating ability to bend and slow time for inanimate objects and living creatures, with the exception of celestial beings. He frowned at her statement.

"You're my only cousin," he replied.

"Still not your favorite. Speaks to how much you hate me, really."

"I'm not here to fight, Anael," Cass told Venus, using her God-given name. She stiffened at the sound of it. "I just want to have a simple conversation." Venus snorted.

"Well, you can start by not calling me that," she told him coldly. Castiel took a deep breath.

"It's your name," he replied. Venus rolled her eyes. She saw no sense in arguing with her cousin over this matter - he would never back down. "We saw what happened." By 'we,' he no doubt meant Venus's annoying extended family up in Heaven. His hazel eyes were surprisingly gentle, and Venus found herself growing angry at the pity in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Venus asked, speaking as calmly as she could. She stood up, walking towards her cousin. Now she regretted taking her heels off; without them she was half a foot shorter than Castiel. "I mean, can't complain, can I? Good ol' gramps banished my dad to a fiery pit of danger and despair for all eternity, and I've only been given a sentence of less than six months babysitting a team of idiot super-teens." Venus shrugged.

Castiel waited a beat. He knew exactly how to push Venus's buttons - she couldn't lie, and everything she had stated had been either a fact or a question, not a statement that could be true or false. But she hadn't answered his question explicitly, and he knew how to get her to.

"So, it's not that bad."

"Of course, it's not that bad!" Venus said. Castiel could hear the touch of sarcasm at the edge of her words. She spread her arms wide. "I've been given the opportunity to be a _hero_, haven't I? Bet you and all the others _love _this." She snorted. "This is my _chance, _right? A chance to prove that I've not been _corrupted _by my father," she said scathingly.

"It's not thad bad," she continued, her voice suddenly raw. "I mean, I've only been banished by the one of the only people that's ever cared about me." She sniffled discreetly. Castiel couldn't help but to roll his eyes.

"I think you mean the one of the only people who _you've_ ever cared about," Castiel corrected. Venus snorted derisively, and Castiel continued. "He doesn't care about you." Venus stiffened at Castiel's statement and she whipped around. "If he did, he would have let you grow up -"

"Has it occurred to you," Venus said coldly, cutting Castiel off. Her wet eyes were suddenly dark and angry, her posture stiff with fury. "Or any of the other small-minded angels up in Grandfather's house that I would have been _miserable_ growing up in Heaven?" Venus sniffed scornfully. "I don't expect it to," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "None of you can get your heads out of your arses long enough to consider that you might be wrong about anything." Castiel glared at his cousin, somewhat offended.

"Your father damned you," he told her. "It wasn't fair." Venus threw her head back and laughed loudly.

"Fair? _Fair?_" She shook her head. "No, I'll tell you what's not 'fair.'" She stalked forward, pressing a hand against Castiel's chest and shoving him backwards until he crashed against the wall. He wheezed as she continued to apply pressure against his diaphragm, unable to breathe properly.

"What's not _fair,"_ Venus said, barely above a whisper. "Is Grandfather banishing my dad with some bullshit excuse that it was a _favor_, an act of _love." _

"It was," Castiel gasped out, wrapping his fingers around Venus's wrist to try to alleviate some of the pressure.

"What's not _fair_," Venus continued as if Castiel hadn't spoken. "Is Grandfather trying to take me away from my dad because the truth is that it _wasn't _an act of love." Venus ripped her hand away from Castiel's chest, face contorted in disgust as Castiel bent forward, struggling to catch his breath. "The truth is," Venus said scornfully. "Is that I don't play a part in the _plan_. Grandfather tried to take me away because He _knows _that He damned my father and _yeah_, maybe He felt bad - but He is too _fucking _stubborn to admit that He was wrong!"

Castiel grabbed Venus's arm, using his strength to shove her backwards. She staggered and he moved forward quickly, wrapping one hand around her arm and the other around her throat. His grip on her throat was loose but he was squeezing her arm was tight enough to bruise, a warning of what he could do to her.

Venus chuckled darkly at Castiel's sudden display of anger. She knew that the two wouldn't be able to just have a 'simple conversation' – it always had to turn into a fight. Cass took a deep breath to contain himself and then let go of her. He really _didn't _want to fight. He stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's only six months."

"'_It's only six months,'_" she mocked him, rubbing the sore spot on her forearm. Cass's grip was _strong._ "_Please. _I wouldn't expect you to understand." Castiel had to take another deep breath so that he wouldn't retort back. After counting to ten slowly, he spoke again, finally getting to the point of why he'd come.

"I'll speak to Uncle Luci." Venus rolled her eyes. It was cute that her cousin thought her father would listen to him. "I'll get him to change your sentence – you can come to Heaven for six months instead." Venus went still, and she raised her head slowly.

"Wow," she said softly, shaking her head. "Now _that _is a truly terrifying prospect that I hadn't even considered." She stood up, trying to shoo her cousin away. "Yes, now that you mention that, I guess I'll count my blessings that _that _wasn't the deal." Castiel closed his eyes, trying to control his temper.

"No one is born evil. You belong in Heaven," he told her through gritted teeth. Despite his mission to try and get her to see his way, he was by now almost hoping she _wouldn't _come to Heaven. Arguing with Venus was _exhausting._

"No," Venus replied coldly. "I really don't." She turned away from Castiel, arms crossed over her chest. "You're going to argue had I been nurtured in Heaven my nature would have changed," Venus mused. She shook her head. "There's no changing nature. You _claim_ you don't want to fight, and yet here we are. Know why?" She smirked smugly and leaned closer, whispering. _"Because it's our nature."_

Castiel went quiet. The muscle in his jaw was twitching. Venus sighed. "Go on now," she told her cousin. "Before you have an aneurysm. Go - save a kitten from a tree, help an old lady cross the street, or - whatever else it is you do in your spare time."

Venus shoved Castiel backwards, opening the door to her room and pushing him out into the hallway. Superboy and Miss Martian were a few feet away, frozen in motion. The Martian girl was carrying a cake, a nervous but excited smile fixed on her face. Written in pink icing on the top were the words: "WELCOME VENUS!" Castiel looked at it.

"You're not even going to offer me a slice?" Cass asked his cousin with a mocking grin. Venus raised her eyebrows.

"Haven't you heard?" She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, her eyes glittering with dark humor. "I'm the _devil_." She wiggled her fingers in a sarcastic wave, leaning her hip against the doorjamb. "Ta-ta, now." Castiel rolled his eyes before disappearing in a flash of bright light.

Venus blinked, and behind her the last of the papers hit the ground next to Grimalkin with a _whoosh_ of air. The cat meowed indignantly, leaping up onto the bed to make herself comfortable. And Miss Martian and Superboy stepped in front of Venus. Superboy blinked in surprise. To him, a second ago the door had been closed and Venus had been nowhere in sight.

"Wasn't the door just - " he made a motion with his hand, looking at the Martian girl for confirmation. She nodded; her eyes wide with the same confusion. Venus sighed.

"Ah, yes. Sorry, little visit from my cousin - he's got this nasty habit of slowing down time. Bit annoying, really." She glanced down at the cake in Miss Martian's hands. Her lips twitched in amusement. "Devil's Food cake, is that?" Miss Martian smiled shyly.

"Yes. I - ah. I thought it seemed fitting?" Her voice pitched up nervously at the end, hoping that she hadn't offended the other girl. Venus smiled slightly, strangely touched.

"Thank you, Miss Martian." The green-skinned girl sighed with relief, a much broader grin stretching across her face. She had been worried that Venus would've been offended, or just have thought that the gesture was stupid.

"It's not a problem!" the alien exclaimed excitedly. "And - you can call me M'gann. Or Megan. Whatever you prefer! Anyways..." she held the cake out. "Welcome to the Cave!"

Twisting a lock of her hair around her finger, Venus looked up from the cake to the two teens in front of her. M'gann was beaming widely, pleased that her welcoming had gone as planned. Superboy was standing behind the Martian, looking slightly uncomfortable. But when Venus raised her eyes to meet his, his lips turned up in a soft, genuine smile.

"Um, yeah." A bigger smile. "Welcome." Venus smiled back.

_ What the hell_, she thought ironically. _It's only six months. Maybe it won't be so bad, after all. _

_At least I'm not in _Heaven.

* * *

**so i did a profile on venus in one of my other stories, but i've made some edits since then so im just gonna do a clarifying thing here, and if u have questions please let me know: **

**powers: venus controls holy fire, which she can create. she cannot control regular fire. she is highly invulnerable except to other celestial beings (angels/demons/hellhounds, etc.). she has pheromone control, similar to queen bee. she also can get people to tell her things about themselves - essentially, when she focuses it's hard to lie to her.**

**she has two appearances - neither is technically "false" or anything like that. the only glamour she does use is to cover her scars in angel form, but both her angel and demon form are legitimate, if that makes sense - she's not a shapeshifter.**

**also ****castiel is gonna pop in now and then and say hello ;) i have plans for him. **

**(i rly could _not _find a better name so i apologize)**

**anyways please let me know what you think of venus/the story! i'd love some feedback. please please leave a review!**


	3. Downtime

**To DigitalGuru: Thanks! And yes, I know most people are more familiar with tv Lucifer. I mean, that's how I found out about him! But this is technically not taking place in the tv show universe. I _may _decide to use aspects of it, but probably not. So Charlie doesn't exist. **

**To tjgrove157: So glad to hear it! Thanks so much!**

**To EnjoyingThis: I'm glad to hear it! Thank you!**

**To Natalie Jarrett: Thanks!**

**Also: something I forgot to mention about Venus (and Castiel) in the last chapter is that they're both immortal, but they haven't lived since the beginning of time like their family. Venus was born/created 16 years ago, and Castiel was born/created 18 years ago. They both will eventually achieve nigh-omniscience, and may eventually achieve nigh-omnipotence, but neither as it yet. As of right now, they have the ability to learn things instantaneously (example: if they touch a book, they can instantly understand the plot from beginning to end, etc. they _can_ forget stuff, however, given that they're young). **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

* * *

**SALEM  
August 21, 16:07 EDT**

Venus shifted uncomfortably in the back of the crowd. It was pouring rain, and water was dripping down her hair and soaking her clothes through to the skin, but that wasn't even why she was uncomfortable.

She was at a funeral. _Kent Nelson's _funeral.

Red Tornado was giving a eulogy, and the heroes surrounding Venus were listening gravely. All of them wore their costumes and saddened, respectful expressions.

All except Venus - she just felt awkward.

"Kent Nelson did not require a magic helmet to be a hero," Red Tornado was saying. "Kent dedicated his life – _gave _his life – to safeguard the world from evil." Venus grimaced, shifting her weight awkwardly. "May he finally find rest with his beloved Inza." The android lowered his head as he finished his eulogy, and the assembled heroes mimicked his silence. Venus stared at the ground.

She waited as various heroes went up to Nelson's tombstone. Some stood there silently, others said their good-byes out loud. Kid Flash came to a halt in front of the headstone. The speedster bent his head, and the Flash put a comforting hand on his nephew's shoulder.

Venus sighed.

She was relieved when heroes finally began to walk off. She quickly turned to leave as well, following the heroes back to the nearest Zeta-Tube. She didn't make an effort to walk close or attempt to talk to any of them.

If she had to assist the Team, so be it. She didn't have to get all chummy with any other heroes.

She waited impatiently in line as the heroes Zeta-d back to their home towns. When it was her turn, she squeezed into the Zeta-Tube, disguised as a small toolshed. She looked longingly at the list of locations on the computer in front of her. Los Angeles was third from the top.

Venus sighed, pressing "Mount Justice" without enthusiasm. The computer beeped as it powered up, and then scanned her.

_"Recognized: Venus Morningstar: A-Zero-Three." _

Venus appeared in the Cave, stepping out of the Zeta-Tube. Robin and Kid Flash were already there, walking into the center of the room. Batman was walking ahead of the two heroes, and the rest of the Team were stepping out of the Zeta-Tube and into the Cave as well.

Instead of being given a "B" designation as the rest of the Team members had, Venus had been given a "guest" designation, beginning with "A." She was well-aware of the implication of the designation - she wasn't really considered a part of the Team - but she didn't really care.

"Well, _that _was a waste of time," Venus said with a sigh, patting the top of her hair. In front of her, Batman stopped short. He turned around; a scowl fixed upon his face as he stared at Venus disapprovingly. The Team members paused as well, staring at Venus with looks of surprise.

"You are helping the Team, now," Batman said sternly. "That means honoring those who gave their lives to the fight. You will _not _disrespect Kent Nelson, or anyone else, like that again." Venus scowled back at Batman. Despite the man's cold and intimidating behavior, he was just that – a man. She had no reason to be scared of him.

"Let's get one thing straight, _Bats," _Venus sneered. "I'm here because I have to be. I _will _protect your precious little children." She flicked her ponytail over her shoulder, sending an arc of water droplets through the air. "I don't have to _honor _anyone."

Batman's eyes narrowed behind his cowl, and the Team members exchanged startled looks. All of them looked surprised at Venus's audacity.

There was a long, heavy silence.

"He wouldn't have wanted me there, anyway," Venus said, rolling her eyes. She left before Batman could dismiss her.

Venus walked to the den, mostly because she'd gone the wrong way to get to her room and she didn't want to walk back through the mission room. Grimalkin was curled up on the couch, sleeping. She raised her head when Venus sat down, purring as the demon shifted the cat into her lap and began to stroke her. With her free hand, Venus pulled out her pentacostal coin and began to play with it.

The coin levitated about an inch above her hand, twisting and spinning in midair as she played with it. The motion was one she had picked up from her father, repeated often when either one of them was thinking something over. Venus was _certainly_ mulling something over now.

After a several moments of silent stewing, Venus sighed, giving in to the "angel on her shoulder." She raised her hands to her chest, placing her palms together as she tipped her head upwards. Venus closed her eyes, mumbling a quick prayer under her breath.

_"_My annoying cousin who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name: Castiel." Venus paused. "Get the fuck over here."

Venus heard the swish of wings, and she stood up and turned around, displacing Grimalkin. The cat meowed plaintively, leaping off the couch and stalking off. Castiel stood behind the sofa, looking smug. Venus took a deep breath. She already _knew _that Cassie would hold this over her _forever. _

And she meant _forever. _Literally all of eternity.

"You rang?" Cass asked, rising his eyebrows. Venus smiled drily, already regretting her choice. _At least he's not slowing down time. _

"Indeed," she said with a sigh. She closed her palm around the coin, halting its movement. She slid it back into her pocket. "I need a favor." Castiel raised his eyebrows.

"Well, _that _is interesting." He walked over to his cousin. Venus rolled her eyes.

"_What_ever, Cassie. Just shut up and listen." Castiel raised his hands in a faux-innocent manner. "A man's soul is stuck inside the Helmet of Fate. Kent Nelson." Castiel raised his eyebrows. Some of his "chores" included collecting souls and helping them ascend to Heaven.

"The Lord of Order Doctor Fate is keeping his soul captive," Venus continued. "Now, I don't know how much you can do about that part, but _when_ Fate lets Nelson go…" Venus paused. She sighed. "Just – make sure he finds his wife, Inza Nelson, quickly. Take him straight to her, okay? None of the registration nonsense."

Castiel grinned broadly, and Venus scowled. "I'm only asking because I know how boring and _big _it is up there, okay?" She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest uncomfortably. "And those lines - _ugh. _You guys really need some protocol management. I just wouldn't want him getting _lost _for all eternity."

"Right," Castiel said, smirking. "I'm sure that's the only reason." Venus gave no answer, which was as telling as if she'd spoken. She couldn't lie, and she was too proud to speak the truth. Cass chuckled.

"Shut up."

"Venus?" Artemis called the demon's name, and Venus turned towards the other girl. The archer was standing in the doorway to the den, surrounded by the other members of the Team. She blinked in surprise when she saw Castiel and smiled slightly at him before turning back to Venus. "Black Canary said training is about the begin."

"I'm coming," Venus said. Castiel was looking at the Team with interest. His gaze lingered on Aqualad and he smiled widely, looking like all the angel he was. Aqualad smiled back, looking slightly hesitant and confused, but pleased. Castiel glanced at Venus, raising his eyebrows, and Venus groaned.

"Castiel, this is the Team. Everyone, this is my cousin Castiel. He's an angel."

"Indeed, I am," Castiel said, winking playfully. Venus pinched the bridge of her nose. "If you ever need a miracle, I'm your guy." Venus stared at the ceiling with a long-suffering look. She took a deep breath, controlling herself before she spoke again.

"Cassie, if I have to spend any more time with you, I'm going to spontaneously combust." The angel laughed. "It's time for you to leave."

"Good chat, Anael," Castiel said. He saluted the assembled Team members with an easy-going grin, and then arched his back. His wings snapped out and he fluttered them, rising up a few feet into the air. As usual, there was a flash of light when he vanished. Venus rolled her eyes.

"Show off," she muttered before turning back towards the Team. Artemis and Miss Martian were staring at the spot Castiel had just vacated with looks of interest.

"Venus, your cousin is hot," Artemis stated, exchanging a look with Miss Martian, who nodded. Venus made a face, and then laughed, partially from the irony of the statement and partially from the affronted look on Kid Flash's face.

"Don't get too excited," Venus told the girls. "He's gay." She glanced at Aqualad subtly, raising an eyebrow. She knew that the Atlantean hadn't missed the look Castiel had given him. Aqualad didn't respond verbally, but his lips turned up ever-so-slightly.

"Why did he call you 'Anael?'" Superboy asked, looking at the demon curiously. Venus made another face.

"It's the name my granddad gave me," she said, a hint of disgust evident in her voice. "Please don't ever call me it, unless you'd like to know what torture feels like." Superboy's eyes widened slightly with surprise, and then he laughed.

"Good to know."

* * *

**MOUNT JUSTICE  
****August 26, 21:08 EDT**

"_Attention, Team." _Venus turned towards the large holographic screen in the center of the mission room. She blinked in surprise. Batman and Robin were on the other end of the transmission. They were both covered with splotches of mud, which made their stoic, business-like expressions extremely funny.

"What happened to you lot?" she couldn't help but ask, a smile curving over her lips. Neither Batman nor Robin answered her question. Instead, Batman continued to brief the Team.

_ "Take a Zeta-Tube to Gotham City immediately," _the Dark Knight continued. "_Rendezvous with Robin at these coordinates." _The location appeared on the screen. Aqualad typed in a command, sending it to the Zeta-Tube to find the nearest location.

"What is the mission?" The Team's leader asked as the computer searched.

"Shouldn't we wait for Artemis?" Kid Flash added. Batman shook his head.

"_Don't wait. There's a _creature _loose in my city." _Venus couldn't help but let out an impatient sigh. Why were _they _handling this? Superboy voiced her thoughts.

"If it's _your _city, then why are _we _hunting it?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Batman's eyes narrowed slightly. Venus couldn't help being slightly pleased that she wasn't the only one comfortable with questioning Batman. She shot Superboy an appreciative look.

"_You are _not _to hunt it or engage," _Batman said. "_Track it until I return with a solution." _

"Understood," Aqualad replied with a nod. He glanced at the computer screen. "Coordinates locked in. We are on our way." Batman nodded.

"_Good. Batman out." _

* * *

**GOTHAM CITY  
August 27, 04:49 EDT **

_I'm going to kill my father, _Venus thought despondently as she stepped in _something _gross. She refused to look down to see what it was and decided to just be glad she had decided to not wear her brand-new creepers.

Venus had decided strongly against wearing a costume on missions, but she had elected to dress _slightly _more practically than she usually did. Instead of heels, she was wearing combat boots with a thick rubber sole, distressed black skinny jeans and a faux-leather black V-neck tank-top. She was also wearing an obsidian choker with a dark red stone set into the center that Maze had gotten for her. She wasn't sure if it was a ruby or a garnet or dyed red with the blood of Maze's enemies.

Venus _was_ like ninety percent sure it was stolen.

She took another step, wincing as something_else _squished underneath her foot.

_Seriously, I am __going to _kill _my dad._

_'Why?' _Venus started when Miss Martian responded to her thought. The demon stared at the Martian, and the alien girl blushed, explaining, _'I set up a mental link. It's easier than comms.' _ Venus raised an eyebrow.

_'Good to know.' _She gazed around the sewer distastefully. '_And if you must know, my decision to commit patricide is because of this _situation _we're currently in. None of you can tell me you're _enjoying _this, right?' _She glanced around at the rest of the Team. None of them answered. _'Exactly.'_

_ '…okay then,' _Miss Martian replied, sounding slightly perturbed. Venus could be quite..._rough_ at times. '_Everyone online?' _The rest of the Team members answered affirmatively, except for Aqualad. Their leader was standing in front of the rest, facing forwards. He was completely motionless and silent, gazing off into the distance.

_'Kaldur?' _Miss Martian asked tentatively. '_Kaldur. _Aqualad!' The Atlantean jumped slightly.

'_…what?' _He replied at last, sounding distant. '_Oh, yes, Miss Martian. Your psychic link functions perfectly.' _Weirdly enough, Venus could sense Miss Martian's relief at Aqualad's statement. This psychic link was _weird. _

_ 'Oh, good,' _Miss Martian responded. '_We couldn't hear you, like your every thought was a million miles away.' _Aqualad didn't respond, instead returning his gaze forward to scan the sewers again. Venus sighed impatiently.

'_Can we –' _her complaint was cut off by a loud roar. The demon shrieked in surprise when a something huge and _slimy _wrapped around her waist. She was yanked backwards by the large arm that was slowly growing in volume to encase her entire body.

Venus grunted as the creature spun her around. She saw that her teammates were all in similar positions, trapped by the monster's many arms. Grimacing, Venus summoned her holy fire. She couldn't reach the whips her father had given her, as she'd strapped them at either hip and her arms were pinned to her sides.

The fire burned around her, scorching the monster's clay arm. It roared, dropping her directly into the sewer water. Venus gagged as she stood up, completely soaked.

"Fuck you, Dad," she muttered, hoisting herself out of the water and onto the stone walk way. She looked around at her teammates. All of them had escaped the creature's grasp as well, and the monster was nowhere to be seen. It seemed to have dissolved back into the sewage water.

"That was unpleasant," Miss Martian said, hovering above the Team. _Understatement of the century. _"Like tangling with a rabid ma'alefa'ak on Mars." Superboy frowned.

"Unpleasant, sure," Kid Flash agreed, standing up from the water. He grimaced. "But kinda easy. That thing was a pushover."

"What's a _malafak?" _Superboy whispered to Robin. The Boy Wonder was a _swishing _sound in the water behind Venus, and she turned around to take a look. As she turned, a huge clay arm appeared out of nowhere, hitting her in the face and slamming her against the wall.

The mud slid over her head, covering her mouth and nose, making it _extremely _difficult to breathe. She gagged again, struggling against the monster. Despite her enhanced strength, the slimy mud kept shifting and made it hard for her to get a grip to break through.

All of the sudden, the monster dropped her. She slammed against the hard cement of the ground, wincing and gasping for breath as the mud retracted. Venus swiped a hand across her face, trying to clear the clay from her eyes and nose.

_"Gross." _She sat up, still rubbing her face as clear of the mud as she could. Her teammates were sprawled about in the sewer around her, groaning in pain. She could hear the monster laughing smugly as it walked away, disappearing down the sewer tunnel.

Aqualad sighed, shifting in the water to stand up. He pressed down on his comm. to reply to a message sent only to his comm.

"Yes, Batman. Though the encounter was far from successful." Venus gathered that Batman had asked if they'd found the creature.

Kid Flash stood up, shaking some of the mud and water off him by using his superspeed. Venus flinched as some of the dropletshit her, glaring at the redhead. He didn't notice.

"If that's Batman," Kid Flash said to their leader. "Ask him where _Artemis _is? And how come _she _gets away with skipping this so-fun _sewer party?" _Aqualad just sighed. Ignoring Kid Flash, he instead began to relay their encounter with the monster to Batman. After giving his report, he listened for a few moments before dropping his hand from the comm.

"Understood. Aqualad out." He turned towards the others. "Let's go. The creature will have left the sewers by now." He began walking back the way the Team had come, to the ladder leading them back to the surface.

"I called the BioShip," Miss Martian said as the Team headed for the surface. Though the Team had Zeta-d to Gotham, Miss Martian had telepathically called the BioShip to autopilot to Gotham, just in case. "There are some fresh uniforms in the back, I think."

"Oh, thank god_," _Robin said, eying the splotches of mud covering them. Not to mention that their uniforms stank of sewage water.

"Please don't," Venus muttered. "Thank _Miss Martian_." Ignoring the bemused looks the rest of the Team gave her, Venus climbed out of the sewer.

"Never thought I'd be _glad _to smell Gotham City air," Kid Flash quipped as he stepped out onto the street. Venus took a breath of the fresh – well, fresh_er _– air. She couldn't help but agree.

"You get used to it," Robin replied as he pulled himself out of the sewer tunnel and back onto the street. Venus shot the younger boy a look.

"Which?" she asked mischievously. "The sewers, or the air quality?" Robin laughed.

"Well, _both." _

The BioShip came soaring the air, no more than a shimmer against the darkened sky in her camouflage mode. The ship landed right in front of the group of bedraggled teenagers, the ramp appearing at their feet.

Miss Martian led the way, showing Kid Flash, Robin, and Aqualad to the back where some of their old uniforms were stored. She herself brushed as much of the clay on her skin as she could and then shifted into a clean uniform.

"Sorry, Superboy, Venus," she said apologetically. "I don't have extra clothes for you guys." Superboy shrugged off her apology, and Venus glanced down at her stained clothes.

"Probably for the best," she said with a shrug. "I'm not really trying to ruin a _second _outfit tonight." Miss Martian giggled slightly, relieved that she wasn't upset.

Aqualad came out of the back first, sitting down in his chair. He steepled his fingers as he stared off into the distance, lost in thought. Robin was quick to follow, walking back to join the others as he adjusted his cape on his shoulders.

"Man, I need a shower," Kid Flash muttered as he followed Robin. He walked back into the cockpit of the BioShip, tugging the cowl on over his face. "I mean, what's the point of putting on a clean costume if I'm not _fresh?" _Miss Martian turned to look at the speedster sympathetically.

"Oh, Wally, you're always _fresh."_

"At least you _have _a clean costume," Superboy reminded Kid Flash, glancing down at himself. He was still covered with splotches of mud, and there was a small puddle of water at his feet from his dripping clothes and hair. Venus nodded in agreement – she was in a similar state. Still, Kid Flash huffed, uncomforted.

"Yeah, an old back-up! No stealth mode!" He tapped the emblem on his chest to show that there was no change for emphasis. "It _stinks!" _Robin snickered.

"Actually, I think the stink is _you,_freshness!" he teased his friend. Sobering up, Robin changed the subject back to the matter on hand. "Anyways, what about the creature? Batman wanted us to track it." Kid Flash grinned, punching his fist into his hand with excitement.

"Why settle for _that?" _he asked animatedly. He looked around at the group. "Okay, sure, it got the drop on us. But _now_ we know its tricks!" Robin nodded.

"Yeah!" he agreed with enthusiasm. He thought for a moment, conceiving a plan. "How about...we split up! Then whoever finds old '_Clayface_' radios the Team…"

"…we converge and kick some clay-_butt!" _Superboy finished. He glanced at Venus, who shrugged and nodded agreeably.

"Works for me." Miss Martian nodded her head as well before glancing behind her.

"What do you think, Aqualad?" Miss Martian asked, turning towards their leader. Aqualad had been sitting in a chair the entire time, stewing quietly. Venus had assumed he'd been making a plan, but when Miss Martian called his name, he looked surprised.

"What?" he asked, blinking. He shook his head, seeming to remember where he was. "Oh, yes…that sounds fine."

"Great!" Robin was already pulling up a map of Gotham City. He quickly divided up the area connected to the sewer they'd been in among the six of them, instructing them all to sweep the area he'd assigned to them. They were to stay in contact via the comm. link, and message the others when they found any sign of 'Clayface.'

"If you find nothing in your section, meet back at the BioShip until you either hear from someone else or we all get back," Robin finished. He looked over at Aqualad. "Anything to add?" Robin asked their leader.

Aqualad was still staring off into space, his expression dazed. When Robin said his name, the Atlantean just shook his head slowly.

"No…that sounds fine. Move out."

* * *

Since moving to Earth five years ago, Venus had traveled rather extensively. Still, she'd favored the more _scenic _destinations, and it was her first time in Gotham City.

Now that she was her, she couldn't say she was impressed by the city's scenery.

The demon stepped into yet _another _darkened alleyway. Like all the ones before it, it was littered with needles and garbage, cigarette stubs and beer cans. It smelled of cheap liquor, _cheaper _cigarettes, and urine. Venus wrinkled her nose.

"_Guys, I found the creature!" _Superboy's voice sounded urgently over the comm. link. "_Rendezvous at my coordinates." _Venus sighed in relief, exiting the alleyway she had been searching and making her way over to where Superboy had indicated.

The warehouse Superboy had located Clayface in appeared to be abandoned and empty, but Venus could see splotches of mud on the ground signifying the monster's presence. She walked inside, looking around for any sign of either the creature or for the others.

"Hey there." Venus turned around. Superboy was standing across from her, a broad grin stretched across his face. Venus arched an eyebrow. Superboy didn't smile like that.

"Alright there, mate?" Superboy smiled again, walking closer.

"I'm fine," he reassured the demon. "I'm just glad you're here now…" He stepped up in front of her, cupping her chin so that she was looking up at him. He leaned in like he was going to kiss her, and Venus pulled back subtly. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She could sense no desire, no truth behind his words. Why would Superboy be lying?

He brushed a stray lock of Venus's hair, stiff with the remnants of the mud, behind her ear. "_Clayface _got away," Superboy told Venus. "We're completely alone…"**  
**A dark grin spread over Venus's face as she understood what was happening. She leaned into Superboy, running her hand down his chest in a flirtatious manner. The clone smiled at her, leaning in closer. Venus grinned darkly.

"Oh, _really?" _She walked her fingers up so that her hand was laying flat against his pectoral. She grinned sultrily as her palm began to heat up, holy fire scorching Superboy's chest. Superboy stiffened, wincing in pain, and Venus shoved forwards, _hard. '_Superboy' went flying against the wall, hitting it with a _thump _and sliding to the ground.

Clayface climbed to his feet, still wearing the guise of Superboy. The harsh scowl on 'Superboy's' face began to melt as Clayface reverted to his true form.

"I know desire, and I know liars," Venus gloated as she stalked towards the creature. "_Nice try." _

The monster roared, whipping outwards with its clay arm. Venus leapt backwards, dodging the preliminary attack. She clutched the hilt of one of her whips, flicking it forwards. Sparks flashed off of it as it laced around Clayface's arm.

As Venus pulled backwards, trying to yank the creature towards her, the fiery whip began to melt through his arm. Her eyes widened as Clayface laughed mockingly, letting its arm melt and then immediately reform. The whip fell loose.

Clayface moved forwards; _way _faster than Venus was anticipating. She managed to evade his grip the first time, dodging his grab. His second arm snaked up behind her, catching Venus by surprise.

The demon struggled in the slick grip of the monster as he tugged her forwards, pressing her face into his chest. She coughed as she found her airways cut off by clay and began to struggle harder.

She thrashed futilely against Clayface. Her chest was beginning to feel uncomfortably tight, and she began to panic.

Venus suddenly wasn't exactly sure how far this whole _immortality _thing went. It certainly _felt _like she was suffocating. Finally, as her ears rushed and her head pounded, the monster let her go. Venus crashed to the ground, wheezing.

"_Nice try," _Clayface said in a sneering, grumbly voice.

It was the last thing she heard before blacking out.

* * *

**MOUNT JUSTICE  
August 27, 07:58 EDT**

The Zeta-Tube powered down as the Team staggered into the Cave. After Clayface had successfully managed to deceive and defeat all of them, Batman had come to their rescue. Now that Clayface was safely just locked away _clay, _Venus could only guess that the Team was in for quite the chewing out.

To her surprise, however, Batman dismissed them. "I need to talk to Aqualad," he said.

"Oh, good," Venus couldn't help but say with a sigh of relief. "I was _not _in the mood to stand around any longer." Batman gave Venus a stern look, which she ignored.

"The rest of you, hit the showers and head home," he finished. Venus walked away; the other members of the Team followed suit. As he left, Superboy grumbled under his breath.

"Head _home?" _the clone muttered. "I _am _home."

Venus made a quick stop at her room to pick up a change of clothes. She grabbed a pair of leggings, a ripped army green crop-top, and her creepers. Before heading over to the bathrooms, she paused at the calendar she'd posted on the wall next to her door. She carefully drew an X over the August 26. She took a deep breath.

_One more day down, 127 more to go. _

After taking a _long_ shower, Venus spent another twenty minutes carefully treating the necklace she'd been wearing. She was careful to make sure she'd cleaned out all the mud from the crevices of the precious stones before she re-attached it around her neck.

Sliding her shoes on, Venus left the bathroom and headed towards the kitchen. M'gann was at the counter, flipping through the pages of a thick cookbook. Superboy was sitting on the sofa of the attached living room, staring at the static on the TV screen with interest. Venus blinked.

"Superboy, you want that on or anything?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, gesturing at the TV.

"No," the clone replied shortly. Venus exchanged a bemused look with M'gann. The Martian hesitated, looking at the two other teenagers.

"Do either of you want to help me make dinner?" M'gann asked hopefully. She didn't mind cooking for the three of them - in fact, she quite enjoyed it - but company was always nice. Venus shrugged, heading over to join the other girl in the kitchen.

"No," Superboy said again as he got to his feet, walking over to the two girls. Venus giggled, and Superboy looked at her. He smiled slightly.

"Well, let's see…" M'gann walked over to the other counter. She used her telekinesis to levitate the book to move with her. She grabbed it out of the air again, looking at the recipe. "We're going to need some brown sugar, a little butter." As she spoke, various cabinets around the kitchen began to open and the ingredients began to fly towards Superboy and Venus. The two teenagers made a mad grab for the food items, setting them down behind them as M'gann began to list the ingredients faster.

M'gann walked over to the fridge, bending down to look at the contents as the food flew behind her towards the other two. "Some salt, cooking oil, vinegar, a few eggs, a couple tomatoes, some milk, a bowl of flour and a few cups of –" a crash behind the Martian made her spin around, eyes wide.

Superboy and Venus were covered with the majority of the ingredients. The brown sugar, butter, and salt had made it onto the counter behind them, and a few tomatoes remained intact on the ground. Superboy was holding the empty milk carton, but the lid had been loose and the liquid had spilled all over him.

Venus couldn't help but laugh at the horrified expression on M'gann's face.

"Oops!" She summoned two hand towels, rushing over to the other teenagers. She began dabbing at their clothes and hair, trying her best to clean them up. "I'm so sorry! I should have paid more attention, it was too much at once, too much at once! _Hello, _Megan! That's so me…" she trailed off, realizing how close she'd gotten to Superboy. "Um…"

The Martian took a few steps back, her face flushed. Superboy looked unperturbed.

"Don't worry, M'gann," Venus said to the Martian with a grin. She took an eggshell of her own head and plucked another one from Superboy's shoulder. Tossing them into the trash, she brushed her hands off and continued, "I hear egg is a good conditioner for hair…" She grinned teasingly at Superboy. "Not sure about shirts, though."

M'gann smiled. She felt somewhat comforted by Venus's joking comment, but a slight frown flickered across her face when Superboy smiled widely at Venus. She blinked, feeling a little bit hurt before Superboy turned back towards her.

"Don't worry," the clone echoed Venus's earlier statement. He smiled at her, and M'gann smiled back, though she couldn't quite help thinking it didn't compare to the smile he'd given Venus. "But maybe it's better if I…" he motioned towards the couch. M'gann nodded sheepishly.

"I'll just put on an apron," Venus said. M'gann laughed, opening the cupboard across the room and levitating one over to the other girl. Venus grabbed it and looped the strap on over her head, tying the smock tightly around her waist.

M'gann watched Venus, and she couldn't help but laugh slightly. Venus looked up, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Nothing," M'gann replied. "I just never thought I'd be on Earth, on a team of superheroes, living in a house inside of a mountain, cooking dinner with a demon." The Martian shook her head in amazement, a broad grin stretched across her face. Venus couldn't help but smile slightly at how pleased M'gann looked.

It made her feel slightly bad that she was _literally _counting down the days until she could leave.

Shaking that thought off, Venus picked up some of the tomatoes. She turned to faucet on to rinse off any dirt that they'd picked up.

"Life is full of surprises, darling," Venus replied. "Besides, _this_ demon likes to cook."

* * *

**MOUNT JUSTICE  
September 3, 18:21 EDT**

The oven dinged, and Miss Martian flew over to the kitchen. She raised her hands, opening the oven door and levitating the tray of cookies out with her telekinesis. She grinned when she saw that they were unburnt.

"Are they done?" Superboy asked, walking over. Venus trailed after the clone, and Artemis and Robin gathered on the other side of the counter. Kid Flash had gone to change into his costume, but there was no doubt he'd be there as soon as he heard the food was ready.

"They smell good," Venus told the Martian, reaching for one. She'd never had _homemade_ cookies before – even though she liked to cook occasionally, she wasn't really the baking type.

"Careful!" Miss Martian warned as the demon pried a cookie from the tray. "They're hot." Venus shrugged, breaking off a piece of the treat and popping it in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before responding.

"Doesn't bother me. These are great." Miss Martian beamed at the praise, pleased that Venus enjoyed them. Superboy picked one of the cookies up gingerly, wincing as it scalded his fingers. Miss Martian laughed gently.

"I told you they were hot," she reminded him. Superboy smiled sheepishly. Kid Flash came speeding into the kitchen, snatching the cookie Superboy had picked up and gobbling it down. The clone frowned.

"Not as hot as you, babe!" he said to Miss Martian, grinning. The green-skinned girl blinked and smiled hesitantly at the speedster.

"Um, thanks, Wally. That's…sweet." The speedster grinned broadly, pointing at Miss Martian. He winked at her flirtatiously.

"Not as sweet as you, sugar!" Artemis rolled her eyes, slapping the back of Kid Flash's head. The speedster winced, grabbing the sore spot. "Ow!"

"_Grow up!" _Artemis admonished the ginger, glaring at him. She turned her gaze back to Miss Martian, smiling at the other girl as she took two cookies from the tray. She offered one to Robin, who accepted.

Just as the Team began to nibble on their treats – or, in Kid Flash's case, _inhale _them – Batman's voice came over the PA system in the Cave.

"_Team, report to the mission room." _Kid Flash sighed, eating the rest of his _fourth _cookie quickly. He grabbed two more from the tray, holding one in each hand as he turned to face his teammates.

"Guess the break's over," he said, his voice muffled by the food in his mouth. "Race you!" He sped off. As he passed Venus, the hair on her shoulders lifted up from the rush of wind. She took a deep breath, trying not to be discouraged.

The last few days of just hanging around hadn't been too bad. Superboy's gruffness didn't bother her, and though M'gann was a bit bubbly for Venus's taste, the Martian was okay company, too. Hanging out with other teenagers had been..._nice. _Venus could almost forget that this was supposed to be a punishment and pretend that she was there on her own free volition.

But now it was time to get back to work, and that fantasy was fading fast.

* * *

**shorter chapter this time around. **

**anyways, i slipped in a lil kaldur/castiel moment. **

**obviously young justice's kaldur was in love with tula...since i don't state anything about that in this chapter, feel free to either imagine that kaldur is bi/pan and still loved tula, or he's gay and loved garth or another atlantean. take your pick.**

**also, just a heads up. this is a superboy/oc story, and obviously i will have to address m'gann and artemis's feelings for superboy at some point. i will _not _be turning them ooc/in to terrible people. however, they may get jealous! in secrets, artemis was upset about superboy and m'gann, enough that she didn't want to hang out with them at the moment because she was hurt and jealous. so i'm going to try my best to keep them in character about all that. **

**anyways. please keep the reviews coming! they really really really inspire me to write more, knowing that people are enjoying it. so please let me ****know what you think!**

**thanks!**


	4. Bereft

**To Natalie Jarrett: Wonder no longer, here is how I did it! And Venus's demon side will return in time :)**

**To Ayda: Thank you so much! That is so nice to hear/read. I'm so glad your enjoying it!**

**To JimmyHall24: Haha, in a good way I hope! Glad to hear it :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice. Venus is mine :)**

* * *

**BIALYA  
September 4, 09:38 EEST**

When Venus woke up the morning after a long night of partying and drinking in Rome, she woke up not in the king-sized bed of her five-star hotel in which she'd fallen asleep, but instead on hot, powdery sand with the sun beating down on her face.

Raising a hand to block the sun the best she could, Venus sat up and leaned forwards. Her head was pounding terribly, which was odd. Her angel physiology was largely immune to hangovers, and she hadn't drunk _that _much.

"What is going on?" she muttered to herself. The demon stood up, squinting her eyes against the sun as she looked around. All she could see around her was sand, sand, and more sand. Judging by that, and the fact that the sun was high in a cloudless sky, Venus gathered that she was in a desert.

She had no idea which one – there were no deserts near _Rome. _

Sighing, Venus reached around, patting her pockets in search of her phone. As she did so, she froze, something occurring to her.

Venus looked down at her outfit in wonderous confusion – ripped black skinny jeans, combat boots, and a leather tank-top – definitely _cute_, but also definitely _not _what she'd been wearing the night before.

Venus distinctly remembered falling asleep without taking off her sexy-ass black ruched halter dress and red stiletto boots, and hoped that they weren't gone for good. She _liked _that outfit. Frowning again, Venus resumed her search.

She patted herself down, looking for anything of familiarity. She didn't have her phone or wallet on her person, but she did have two leather whip-hilts attached to her belt. When she picked one of them up, a buzz of power rang up her wrist, and she could immediately tell they were connected to her holy fire.

Venus brushed her hair over shoulders absent-mindedly. As she did so, her fingertips brushed against something in her ear.

The demon plucked the object out, staring at it in confusion. It was a tiny radio that appeared to be turned off. Venus frowned again, crushing it in her hand and scattering the smithereens among the sand. She reached into her pockets again, and her fingers closed around what she was looking for.

"Ah-ha!" Venus pulled out her pentacostal coin. She clutched it in her hand, considering her options.

She now had three options – one, assume her angel form and risk ascension and/or forced ascension by her grandfather; two, return to Hell briefly and figure out a strategy from there; and three, wander the desert as a human until she was rescued.

Venus considered for a moment longer, and then closed her fist tightly around the coin, focusing. Normally, the transportation only took seconds, but this time Venus found herself stuck, completely frozen in place.

She gasped, her fingers loosening around the coin. It fell from her fingers and into the sand and Venus swayed for a moment, slightly dizzy.

"What?" she muttered again, frowning in confusion. It didn't take her long to realize what was happening. Something was blocking her from leaving this place.

More specifically, some_one _was blocking her from leaving this place. And that could be one of two people: her father, or her grandfather.

Now, Venus had no idea why either of them would strand her in this desert with no way out, but they were the only two people who had the power to do so.

Well – that wasn't _exactly _true. Most of Venus's extended family had the power as well, but they didn't care as much, nor would they risk the wrath of offending her father by harming and/or inconveniencing her. Lucifer wasn't what you could call strict, but he was overprotective at times.

Venus considered the two possibilities. If her father had stranded her here, it was probably a punishment, or a lesson of some kind. If it was her grandfather, then it was probably a test - one that she would be determined to fail.

Venus probably tried a little _too _hard to displease Him.

The demon bent to pick up her pentacostal coin, slipping it back into her pocket with an annoyed sigh. Even if it was momentarily useless, she had no desire to leave it for anyone to find – not that it was likely in the middle of the desert, but still.

Turning around mindlessly, Venus set out in a random direction. It wasn't as though any direction was better than the other, nor was she in any danger.

_Heh, _she thought drily to herself as she set off, wandering aimlessly through the desert, likely at God's will. _It's kinda like the Bible. _

* * *

Hours later, Venus lost patience. She had been walking all day with no sign of any people, civilization, or even a clue as to where she was.

The only thing around her were sand dunes, and more sand dunes. As far as she knew, she could have been walking in circles. Everything looked exactly the same.

"Alright, enough is enough," Venus said with a long sigh. She had been wandering the desert for too long. It was time to suck up her pride and ask for help.

And since she had no way of reaching her father, she had to ask the _other _person who could have put her here.

Venus grimaced, getting down on her knees and folding her hands together underneath her chin. With Castiel, she could be as informal as she pleased – her elder cousin had been assigned the unfortunate duty of babysitting her, and _had _to respond.

With her grandfather, she had to be more respectful or otherwise He wouldn't listen. Venus began to pray.

"My Grandfather who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth and Hell as it is in Heaven. Give me this day my daily bread; and forgive me for my trespasses, as I forgive those who trespass against me. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from," Venus's voice faltered slightly, "My father, the evil one."

She sighed. "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen."

Venus felt the familiar rush of air, and when she opened her eyes the desert had vanished. She glanced down. She was in what she liked to call "God's Waiting Room." She hadn't fully ascended to Heaven, but she was above Earth and could observe the world below her.

She could see her corporeal form there, kneeling in the sand with her head bent in prayer. Venus had taken on her angelic form, her wings fluttering behind her. She was wearing a loose white-and-gold dress with a deep (but modest) V-neck and flowy sleeves, and her black-and-red choker had been replaced by a gold necklace set with a blue stone. Her hair was braided loosely down her back and held in place by a gold diadem – her Halo, the source of her angelic powers. She glanced down at herself.

"I look like a Halloween costume," she said, frowning at the glowing light opposite her. Of course, Grandfather hadn't "blessed" her with His _actual _presence.

Not that she was complaining - despite her arrogance she put on towards her grandfather, His power intimidated her. He could smite and destroy her and her father in a heartbeat.

"Anael," her grandfather's voice rolled over her, loud enough to make her ears ring uncomfortably. Most beings couldn't withstand the full exposure to God's presence, whether it be His voice or His appearance. Angels could, but since Venus wasn't used to being around it, it could be a little uncomfortable at first. "Why have you called?

"I need help," Venus admitted, glancing back down at the desert. "Why have You put me here? My father wouldn't." There was a deep chuckle.

"You are mistaken, Anael," He told her disparagingly. "As usual, you give your father too much credit." Venus's lip curled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" God chuckled.

"You have lost some memory," He told her. "But your father is very much the reason you are in this situation, Anael." Venus frowned, ignoring that piece of unsettling information to instead gripe at her grandfather.

"You are literally just saying 'Anael' to make a point," she complained. "No one needs to say a person's name that many times in a one-on-one conversation." God didn't respond, but the light flickered slightly, showing His irritation. Venus smiled. It was a small victory in this clearly lopsided power-balance, but she didn't care.

"I will not waste my time any longer with this meaningless conversation," He told Venus coldly. "I have no use for you." Venus scoffed loudly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's a lie."

The air pressure and temperature in the room seemed to drop as God's irritation mounted. Venus's ears popped slightly, and she tilted up her chin defensively, standing her ground.

"Excuse me?"

_"Please," _Venus continued, her irritation bubbling over. "As if I don't know when someone, even You, is lying. But more importantly, I know You need me for something." The light glowed brighter, and the air seemed to leave the room – He was getting angry with Venus's insolence. Still, she plowed on.

"The name 'Anael' – it means 'grace of God,'" Venus continued. She glared at the light; her hands balled into fists of nervous rage. This question had burned at her mind since she had first heard her grandfather utter it.

"I've always wondered," she said. "My father's name, Samael, meant 'venom of God.' You needed an enemy." Venus's lip curled into a sneer. "After all, what is good without evil?"

The light flickered out again a few times – she was losing His attention. Venus raised her voice, as though that would help. "Why am I in Your grace?" she shouted. The light vanished, and Venus's stomach jolted with the sensation of falling as the ground disappeared beneath her.

She gasped, opening her eyes. She was kneeling on the sand once again. Venus stood up and looked around, turning her face up to the night sky. Her heart was racing with terror and anger.

"What do You need me for?" she screamed towards the heavens.

She was so distracted by her conversation with her grandfather that she failed to notice the four teenagers walking up behind her. As she yelled, they stopped short.

"Hey, you didn't tell us she was crazy," a voice behind Venus said.

The demon spun around. Two boys and two girls stood behind her. She appraised them quickly. Judging by their clothing, all four of them appeared to be associated with a member of the Justice League. She recognized Robin and the Flash Boy as public sidekicks, but the other two she didn't know. One of them was an archer, and the other had green skin.

"What are you _wearing?" _the green-skinned girl exclaimed in surprise, looking at Venus. The demon frowned, looking down at her clothes. To her great surprise, she was still wearing her angelic garb. She made a noise in the back of her throat.

"Good question," Venus said. She reached up, her fingers closing around her Halo. To her surprise, it was still there. She frowned. "He let me keep it," she muttered to herself, pulling it off in surprise.

As the Halo left her head, Venus's appearance returned to normal. Her wings disappeared, and her robes turned back into the skimpy black clothing she'd been wearing before.

"Woah," Flash Boy said with wide eyes. Venus glanced at him, shooting the redhead a coy smile even though she wasn't sure if he was reacting to her appearance or the sudden _change _in appearance.

"Who are you guys?" she asked, looking back at the other teenagers and crossing her arms. She tried to seem put together - the last thing she wanted was some sidekicks thinking that she needed _rescuing. _

"We're your teammates," the green-skinned girl exclaimed excitedly. Venus raised an incredulous eyebrow. Of all the answers she'd been prepared to hear, that had _not _been one of them. "No, really!" the girl continued. "I'm Miss Martian, this is Robin, Artemis and Kid Flash."

_Oh, _Kid _Flash, not Flash _Boy.

"Sorry," Venus said with a derisive shake of her head. "I think you've got the wrong demon. I'm not really a 'teammate' kind of person." She turned to leave, but Miss Martian called after her.

"No, you're, like, bonded to helping us until the New Year," she explained. Venus turned back slightly. Not that she liked the sound of that, it certainly made more sense and explained why she couldn't leave the desert. _She_ needed to help _them _leave, she couldn't just abandon them.

"Why?"

"You tried to steal the Helmet of Fate," Miss Martian explained. "And then your father got mad at you and uh…" her voice trailed off slightly and she looked at the ground, toeing her foot through the sand. "Banished you?"

Venus went still.

"He _banished _me?" she repeated. Sudden anger and hurt coursed through her veins. She glared at the ground, clenching her Halo in her fist angrily. The divine metal it was made of was one of the few things her super-strength couldn't break, and somehow that made her angrier.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Venus fought back against her emotions, glaring at the ground. She took a few deep breaths an in attempt to control her anger, and then finally looked up.

"Fine," she said, her voice sharp and mean.

"Great!" Miss Martian said, her voice overly-cheery in an attempt to gloss over the awkward situation. She cleared her throat. "Um – we came to find you so we can get our memories back." Venus shrugged indifferently, still stiff with anger.

Miss Martian raised her hands to her temples, her eyes glowing white. The desert disappeared around the teenagers. Venus looked around. She, Artemis, and the two boys were standing in a cavern. Everything glowed faintly with purple light, and fractured images surrounded them.

Venus's eyes fell on a particular memory. She was covered in flour and milk, and she and Miss Martian were cooking. A boy with dark hair and blue eyes stood at the counter, watching them. Venus's chest tightened uncomfortably as the memory-version of her looked up, giving the boy a warm smile.

_Please tell me I'm not catching feelings for __some _human.

"I've brought you into my mind to share what I've remembered so far," Miss Martian's voice spoke. She appeared from a pillar of glowing light; her hands clasped at her chest. "But I need your help. Together, our broken memories can form a whole, if you open your minds to mine." Artemis stiffened, taking a few steps back.

"You want to paw through our private thoughts?" she asked, affronted at the suggestion. Miss Martian's eyes went wide, and she held up her hands placatingly.

"I have no wish to intrude!" she exclaimed. "But –"

"You need to hack our minds to grok what happened to us," Robin finished. He put his hands on his hips, shrugging easily. "Got it. Go!" Venus shrugged, nodding her consent as well. She didn't particularly care what these mortals found out about her. She had nothing to hide.

"My mind's all yours," Kid Flash said arrogantly. "Try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you." Venus rolled her eyes.

"Or underwhelm you," she muttered. Robin grinned, glancing at the demon.

"That's what I was going to say!" The boy paused, considering something. "Hey – why isn't anyone ever just _whelmed?" _

Despite herself, Venus cracked a tiny smile at this comment.

Artemis looked around; her expression guarded. Despite the others' permission, she seemed wary of something. Kid Flash noticed this. He walked over to her side, reaching down to lace his fingers through hers. Artemis started, glancing at Kid Flash in surprise. He gave her a reassuring smile, and her shoulders relaxed slightly.

The archer turned back to Miss Martian. "Last six months _only," _she said in a reluctant, warning tone. "And only what you need."

Miss Martian nodded reassuringly, her eyes glowing white again. She extended her hands, and four glowing arms reached out for each of the other teenagers. Venus closed her eyes as the glowing blue hand touched her head, and an odd tugging sensation filled her brain.

_"The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Bialyan desert." _Venus didn't recognize the voice, but as the accompanying image came into focus, her eyes fell on the famed Batman. _The Dark Knight stood in front of the group of teenagers, his back facing a holographic map marking their destination. "Spectral analysis revealed elements non-terrestrial in origin. Find out what happened in that site, what landed there._

_"Bialya is a rouge state ruled by Queen Bee," Batman continued, pressing a button on the remote to pull up an image of the monarch. The woman was beautiful, and she had a severe, domineering look to her. Honestly - she looked not unlike Venus herself. "It is not a member of the League's UN Charter. All communications are subject to interception – maintain radio silence at all times." _

The image of Batman lecturing the Team vanished, but his voice continued as the memory shifted to a dark desert landscape. "_You'll land in Qurac, on Bialya's border, two klicks from the hot zone." _

The eyes that Venus was looking through shifted direction as the person glanced towards the large red and black ship beside them. _The dark-haired boy Venus had seen in the memory of her cooking was walking down the gangplank, __a large machine strapped to his back._

_"All clear!" _It was Kid Flash's voice speaking – his memory.

The image vanished and shifted again, this time to someone looking down at Artemis and Robin as the two humans peered over the ledge at a tent. _"The Bialyans control the site," Artemis reported to the Team as she and Robin regrouped with the them. _

_"Set up here." _It was an unfamiliar voice that spoke, but not the dark-haired boy – he was the one being spoken to._ The dark-haired boy placed the machine down on the ground, pressing a button to activate it. Robin walked over to the machine, sitting down at it and began to type._

_"We'll be up and running in no time," he announced confidently. Kid Flash leaned over his friend's shoulder, whistling as the results came up._

_"Jackpot! This site's lousy with Zeta-Beam radiation." Robin looked up from the data his teammates. He'd found what they were looking for. _

_"I'm detecting non-terrestrial trace elements from the tent," he reported, referring to the tent he and Artemis had been scouting. Miss Martian stepped forward._

_"I'll check it out in camouflage mode," she volunteered. _The unfamiliar voice spoke again, still just out of frame from the memory.

_"Good idea. Go." _

The memory's point of view shifted to Miss Martian's. Venus and the others looked through her eyes as the memory played out. _Venus glanced at Miss Martian, a small frown crossing her face._

_"Be careful," she told the other girl. _Venus frowned slightly. Was she…_worried? __Miss Martian nodded her head at the other girl's advice, scanning the rest of the group. _

Her gaze fell on the boy who'd been speaking that none of them recognized. _"Maintain telepathic contact," he warned the Martian girl. Miss Martian nodded again._

_"I will, Aqualad." _

Venus's eyes flew open at the same time as the others.

"Aqualad!" They exclaimed in one voice, finally remembering their Team's leader.

"Where is he?" Venus asked, looking around the desert. Her vision was better than a human's, and it was a clear night, but he was still nowhere to be seen. Though the desert was mostly flat, he could easily be behind one of the tall dunes that blocked Venus's sight.

"What happened next?" Robin asked urgently. Miss Martian shook her head. She seemed distressed.

"I don't know!" She exclaimed. "That's the last thing I – we – remember!" Venus frowned, her lips pursing. She glanced down at the Halo in her hand. The divine metal felt both hot and cold in her hand, as it was wont to do.

Now that she remembered the circumstances of her "becoming a hero," she was all the more confused. Why had her grandfather allowed her to keep her Halo?

There was no way it was a mistake. Surely, if it had been, He would have realized it by now and taken it away. Venus shook her head, attaching the Halo to her belt loop. The rest of her metal jewelry was silver, so it clashed in an annoying way, but Venus certainly didn't want to wear it and change back to her angelic form.

Out of the corner of her eye, Venus saw Kid Flash and Artemis pull away from one another. Kid Flash scratched his head awkwardly as he spoke.

"We landed twenty-four hours ago," he said, trying to cover up the awkward situation between him and Artemis. "If Kaldur's been wandering the desert for that long…well, that's not good for a guy with gills."

"Now that I know to look for him," Robin said, pulling up a map on his holographic glove computer. He typed in a command, and a red blip appeared on the screen. Robin's eyes widened. "He's close! But he's not moving. Follow me!"

Robin took off, his cape billowing out behind him as he ran. The rest of the Team followed the Boy Wonder through the sand dunes. As they approached Aqualad, they could hear him mumbling.

He was speaking a foreign language, one that Venus didn't recognize. She was guessing it was Atlantean, given that it Kaldur was, well, _Atlantean, _and that she knew most earthly languages.

"I can't restore his memories in this condition," Miss Martian said, kneeling next to him. She placed her hand on his forehead, her eyes narrowed in concern as she took in the state of their leader.

"He needs immediate rehydration!" Robin said, recognizing the symptoms that Aqualad was suffering immediately. "Call the BioShip!" Miss Martian looked up, her eyes wide with distress.

"It's out of range!" she said. She glanced at Kid Flash hopefully. "But you can get him there fast!" Kid Flash shook his head regretfully.

"He's too heavy," he explained with a sigh. "And I'm too low on fuel. Right now, I couldn't even carry her," he nodded at Artemis, who scoffed, elbowing him. She looked down at Aqualad, and then back at Miss Martian.

"Why not just levitate him back?" she asked the other girl. Miss Martian shook her head determinedly, putting Aqualad back down on the ground and standing up straight.

"I can't. I have to find Superboy." Venus raised an eyebrow, silently questioning Miss Martian's priorities. Sure, Superboy was _hot, _but Aqualad was _dying. _"Six months ago, he didn't exist!" Miss Martian continued. "He has no memories, just animal impulse. I'm the only one who can help him."

Venus frowned at that logic.

"True," she said, tilting her head to the side and examining Aqualad. "But you're also the only one that can help _Aqualad_."

"Right!" Kid Flash said in agreement, pointing at Venus. "And Superboy's indestructible – just ask those tanks! And Aqualad needs your help, like _now." _

Miss Martian didn't answer, her eyes narrowing stubbornly. Venus huffed out a sigh, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.

"Listen, we get that you have a crush on him," Venus said, uncaring that she was coming off as rude. Miss Martian flinched, her eyes going wide, and Artemis frowned, crossing her arms over her chest in irritation. Venus didn't care. She was here to help the Team, and she knew who needed help right now – she wasn't afraid to be mean to get Miss Martian to see what was right. "Aqualad needs your help!"

"I don't –" Miss Martian began defensively, her cheeks turning pink. She stopped suddenly, clutching her head and crying out in pain as she doubled over. When she straightened up again, her eyes were full of horror. "No! Superboy's in pain!" Without any more explanation, she took off into the night sky, away from the Team.

"M'gann, wait!" Artemis shouted after the other girl. Robin cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling out after the Martian as well.

"We still don't know what erased our memories!" He called pointedly. "It could happen again!"

There was still no response, not even a glance back to acknowledge that she'd heard his concern. Miss Martian had abandoned them.

"Bloody fantastic," Venus said, kicking the sand and shaking her head in disgust. "Now what?" Kid Flash sighed, pulling his goggles down over his eyes.

"Back in a second," he said. He took off, kicking up a small cloud of sand and dust that floated around in the wake of his movement. He returned quickly, dropping an armful of junk on the sand. He seemed slightly breathless when he stopped, pausing to catch his breath before he spoke. "Rob, got anymore rope?"

As usual, the Boy Wonder was prepared. The teenagers lashed the junk Kid Flash had collected together with the twine until it formed a stretcher. Venus and Robin lined up on one side, and Artemis and Kid Flash on the other.

"One, two, three," Artemis counted off. "Lift!" Together, the four teens picked up Aqualad and lowered him onto the stretcher as gently as possible. Robin took out another piece of rope, securing Aqualad to the stretcher the best they could. It wasn't likely going to be a smooth ride, and they didn't want to risk him falling off.

Robin pulled up a map, this time typing in the location for the BioShip. He led the way, Artemis and Kid Flash holding onto the front handles of the stretcher and Venus holding onto the back.

As they walked, the sound of an engine rumbling off in the distance got their attention. There was a small caravan of Humvees heading their way. Robin pointed to a large sand dune a few yards away. "Quick, over there!"

The teenagers made a dash for cover, making it behind the sand dune just as the trucks rumbled by.

Aqualad chose that convenient moment to wake up. He began to mumble again in Atlantean, his voice rising and falling in the lilting tones of the language. Artemis placed her hand on Aqualad's shoulder, shushing him gently.

"Sh, Kaldur," she soothed the older boy. "Quiet now."

Robin peeked around the edge of the dune, taking note of the Bialyan soldiers. There were too many of them, and they were way too close for comfort. Robin glanced back at Aqualad, who was still unconscious, and then at the map in his hand. They were _so close _to the BioShip, but the chances of them making it there without getting seen were slim. Robin shook his head.

"We can't risk a fire-fight with Aqualad KO'd like this," he said, looking at his other teammates. Kid Flash sighed.

"It's not just him," the speedster replied, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked exhausted. "I'm way out of juice." Artemis nodded in agreement, tugging at her quiver pointedly to show that she was also running on empty.

"And I'm almost out of arrows!" Venus shrugged.

"I mean, _I _feel fine," she said, smirking slightly at the amused, if exasperated, looks the other gave her. Robin smirked.

"Come on," he muttered to her. Blinking in surprise, Venus followed Robin out from the cover of the dunes, leaving the other three behind. As she crept down the side of the sand, she heard Kid Flash muttering something behind her, but she paid it no mind.

Robin moved swiftly, bouncing back and forth between different hiding spots quickly as he headed down the slope. Venus was less subtle, but still managed to avoid being spotted as she reached the bottom with Robin.

He turned towards Venus and pressed a few charges into her hand, muttering instructions. Venus nodded, carrying out Robin's plan swiftly. As she placed the last few charges, one of the soldiers rounded the dune, catching sight of her.

He raised his gun, his eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to speak, either to order her to do something or to call out a warning to his teammates. Before he could, Venus straightened up with a coy grin, lowering her eyelids alluringly.

The soldier's gun dipped down, and he stared at her in an adoring manner. Venus winked flirtatiously, putting a finger to her lips and narrowing her eyes at him. The soldier nodded slowly, and she wiggled her fingers in a wave good-bye, sauntering off to rejoin her teammates behind the sand dune.

Robin, who had already returned, had seen the whole thing. He was staring at her in abject surprise.

"How did you – " Robin began.

"It won't last long," Venus replied, dropping down next to them. It was true - once people were away from her, the affect she'd had on them quickly faded. After several minutes, they wouldn't remember why they'd been so allured. "Hurry!"

"Where were you two?" Kid Flash asked, as Robin activated the charges via his wrist computer. Robin glanced up at his friend with a smirk.

"Breaking radio silence," he responded, hitting the control button.

The air filled with the noise of loud static. Venus peered out to see the soldier she'd left standing there blink slowly as he came to. He snapped out of his fugue, taking notice of the explosives on the ground. He called out to his companions, and as they came rushing over, Robin's loud cackle filled the air.

There was a loud beep, and then an explosion.

"That's our cue. Move!" Robin whispered as the air filled with smoke and the sounds of people hacking and yelling.

The three teenagers made a dash for the BioShip, which was just a few hundred meters away. It was in camouflage mode, but when they arrived at the base of the ship, the ramp descended for them automatically. The BioShip sensed their presence and recognized them, allowing them to board easily.

After dragging Aqualad on board, Artemis and Robin got him hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor. Robin squeezed the water pouch, making sure that it was running effectively.

Kid Flash grabbed an extra power bar and opened the wrapper, beginning to crunch loudly. Artemis squeezed Aqualad's shoulder and then went to the hold to get some more arrows, just in case.

After a few seconds of quiet observation, Venus walked over to the medicine cabinet and grabbed a compress. She wet it with cold water and then headed back over to Aqualad, pressing it against his forehead gently.

It appeared that her duty to take care off the Team went beyond on the field.

"Just call me Mama Demon," Venus muttered to herself with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. Robin overheard the girl and snickered. Venus groaned. "I'm gonna regret saying that, aren't I?"

"Most definitely," Robin agreed, shooting Venus a grin. The demon rolled her eyes again, a small smile on her face.

_'Hey, everybody!' _Miss Martian's voice rang through the mental link cheerfully, making Venus start slightly. _'I've got Superboy! He's back to normal and we're on our way.'_

Aqualad gasped suddenly, the loud, unfamiliar voice inside his head bringing him back to consciousness. He looked around in surprise, knocking Venus's hands away as he took in his unfamiliar surroundings.

"Who are you?" he asked out loud, sounding panicked. "And how did you get inside my head?"

_'_Hello_, Megan!' _Miss Martian exclaimed as Robin and Kid Flash walked over to fill Aqualad in. Recognizing his friends, the Atlantean relaxed slightly, though he still looked confused. '_Aqualad's memories! I _knew _I forgot something!' _

'_Aw, man! Me too!' _Kid Flash cried suddenly. Venus looked at him in confusion, and he explained, _'I didn't get a souvenir from the mission!' _

_ 'Don't worry!' _Miss Martian replied cheerfully. '_We've got the souvenir thing covered.' _

Venus glanced downwards, looking at the Halo at her hip. She huffed silently. _Yeah. Me too. _

A loud meow made Venus turn around, away from Aqualad.

"Grimalkin, what are you doing here?" Venus scolded, scooping up the cat. The kitten purred, nuzzling Venus's chin affectionately. "Good thing you stayed on the BioShip," Venus said. "You would have made a good meal for a predator."

The black cat meowed plaintively, flicking her tail to nudge the Halo that hung at Venus's hip. As usual, Grim seemed to sense Venus's distress. The kitten nudged Venus's palm with her wet nose and licked the demon's hand in a comforting manner. Venus sighed, scratching her cat behind the ears absent-mindedly.

"Grandfather has a plan for me, Grim," Venus told her cat quietly. She kept an eye on her teammates, wary of being overheard. Lucily, none of them seemed to be listening. "I just don't know what it is yet."

* * *

**this is kinda a short chapter...i couldn't really figure out a way to make her fit with one of the team member's story, so i kinda gave her her own. ****next chapter will hopefully be longer. **

**i also just really wanted to give some insight into venus's dynamics with her family members and her past and stuff (more of which will come)**

**anyways. please please please leave a review and let me know what you think of this! i love any and all feedback, and it really makes me happy to see people's response to my work!**


	5. Targets

**It's been too long...and this chapter is too short...unfortunately, the majority of the writing I've been doing as of late is college essays and school essays :P **

**To Layla347: Thank you!**

**To MemeSoldier: Haha! I didn't realize it, but I am going to be (somewhat) synched up to real time (well, nine years apart XD) with this story!**

**To Trojan Prince: Thank you! You will see a little taste of that in this chapter :)**

**To Ayda: Honestly...Venus _would _probably prefer to be called "Anal" XD. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To tjgrov157: Glad you're enjoying it!**

**To Natalie Jarrett: I'm not caught up with Lucifer unfortunately, so probably not as I don't know what happens. But if I get caught up, maybe!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice**

* * *

**MOUNT JUSTICE  
September 7, 06:41 EDT**

Venus lit a cigarette, taking a drag and exhaling smoke. The nicotine had little to no immediate effect on her, and her immortality ensured that smoking would do no damage to her health. But she smoked mostly because the taste reminded her faintly of Hell. She supposed this was somewhat nostalgic of her.

Grimalkin meowed loudly, making Venus lift her head. The demon looked at her cat, who was pawing at the door. Venus groaned, sitting up slowly and taking a final drag of smoke.

The demon got up from her bed and walked over to the door, opening it for the cat. She stubbed out her cigarette in the ash tray beside the door as she did so. Grim streaked off in an inky blur down the hallway and Venus sauntered after her. The dark-skinned girl heard voices coming from the hangar and headed over to see what was happening.

Superboy was kneeling on the ground next to his bike, and Miss Martian was standing next to him holding two paper bags. Red Tornado, Martian Manhunter and Aqualad were standing around the two teens. Venus propped a hand on her hip, heading closer.

"The first day of the scholastic season carries great cultural resonance," Manhunter said as Venus approached. "We want to wish you both well." Venus's lips quirked up as she realized what was happening – Superboy and Miss Martian were finally heading to high school for the first time ever.

"Guess it's not a Kryptonian thing," Superboy said, looking slightly downcast. His eyes fell on Venus, and he smiled again. "Came to see us off?" He asked her. The demon smirked.

"Well, I'm certainly not going _with _you," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "School was _not _part of the deal." Next to her, Aqualad chuckled slightly. The Atlantean nodded at the two teenagers.

"You may wish to change before you depart," Aqualad cautioned his teammates. Both of them were dressed in their superhero uniforms - or in Superboy's case, the only clothes he owned. Miss Martian clasped her hands together.

"Oh, I spent _hours _picking this outfit!" She exclaimed excitedly. Her uniform shifted to a dark pink skirt with a matching short-sleeved blouse open over a white t-shirt. The Martian did a twirl, glancing at the others. "What do you think?" she asked eagerly. "Can M'gann M'orzz pass as an Earth girl now?"

Venus eyed M'gann, whose skin was still a bright-green color. The demon pursed her lips dubiously.

"Well…" Aqualad began tactfully.

"Just kidding!" M'gann exclaimed, laughing. Her skin changed color so that she resembled a Caucasian teenager. "Meet _Megan Morse!" _M'gann said, grinning widely and curtsying.

"I like it," Venus said, appraising M'gann's human guise. She glanced at Superboy, a small smile playing on her lips. "You gonna get a new name too?" she asked him. Superboy blinked slowly, his eyebrows pressed together in confusion. Martian Manhunter cleared his throat.

"I chose the name John Jones for myself," he said, shifting to his human appearance of a tall dark-skinned man wearing a suit. "And suggested John Smith for Red Tornado. You could be a John, too." Superboy scoffed, shaking his head.

"Pass," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. M'gann cleared her throat, blushing slightly as she rested a hand on Superboy's shoulder.

"Conner's always been my favorite name," she suggested shyly. Superboy considered for a moment and then shrugged, accepting it.

"A last name will also be required," Aqualad reminded them. Venus rubbed her chin. To her this seemed like something they should have taken care of long before the first day of school, but whatever.

"Perhaps Kent," Manhunter said, a slight smile playing across his face. M'gann smiled widely, nodding her head in agreement.

"Oh, in memory of Doctor Fate!" she said. "The late _Kent _Nelson!" Martian Manhunter nodded slightly, changing his appearance back to his green-skinned alien look.

"Of…course," he said. Venus frowned. _Liar, _she thought to herself. She chose to keep this fact to herself, however, deciding from his tone that he had a good reason to not be telling the truth. Instead, the demon looked forwards, locking eyes with Superboy.

"Conner Kent," Venus repeated, testing the name out. Superboy looked up at her, and Venus grinned. "I like it."

"Okay," he agreed, shrugging. "I guess it'd be an honor or…something." M'gann turned towards Superboy, a wide grin stretched across her face.

"Well, _Conner Kent, _it's time to change your shirt!" she said. Superboy blinked, glancing down at his outfit. He placed a hand on the red S-shield protectively, and M'gann batted it away, poking him in the chest playfully. "You don't want to reveal your identity!" she reminded him.

Superboy gave a long-suffering sigh. He reached down and grabbed the hem of his shirt. Venus couldn't help but chuckle ever-so-slightly when she saw M'gann's face go bright red as Superboy tugged his shirt off completely, showing his chest.

The clone turned the shirt inside out, holding it out in front of him. "Will this work?"

"Yeah, definitely," Venus said. Superboy glanced over at her, and she grinned at him mischievously, sweeping her gaze up and down his shirtless form. "I mean, as long as you plan on putting it on." Superboy chuckled, pulling the shirt back over his head so that it was now a plain black tee. M'gann cleared her throat, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Um, well…we don't want to be late!" she said, hastening Superboy. The clone shrugged, waving at Venus before turning to head out of the Cave.

"I don't get it," he said as he and M'gann walked away, the Martian levitating their lunch bags behind her. "Shouldn't I be Conner Nelson?" Venus laughed.

"They grow up so fast," Manhunter said, watching the two teenagers depart from the Cave. Venus had to fight back a snort at the comment. Aqualad smiled in a slightly amused manner as well as the two Leaguers departed.

"So, _Kaldur'ahm,_" Venus said as she and Aqualad walked back towards the mission room of the Cave. She liked the way Atlantean names sounded. They didn't exactly roll off the tongue, but they had a fun rhythm to them. "What are your plans for the day? Atlanteans don't go to school?" Aqualad smiled.

"I believe it would be a little difficult for me to blend in," he said, motioning to his webbed fingers and gills. He paused in the center of the room, pulling up a holographic computer. He began to type as he continued, "In Atlantis, I studied at the Conservatory of Sorcery before becoming Aqualad, and before that I had a more…_human-like _education as well." Venus nodded slowly.

"Interesting," she said, mulling over that.

A beeping noise filled the room. Aqualad blinked in surprise, and then hit a button to open the transmission.

_"It's me," _an unfamiliar voice said, sounding chagrined. "_I may…possibly…be in over my head." _Venus stepped closer, curious. Someone had called the Cave's transmission line.

"Who's this?" she asked curiously.

"Red Arrow," Aqualad told Venus. The Atlantean then responded to the archer. "I am on my way," he said. There was an affirmative grunt on the other end, and then the transmission cut off. Clearly, whoever was calling had a lot of pride.

"What's the problem?" Venus said, intrigued.

"The peace summit in Taipei," Aqualad said, sounding as if he thought this was a satisfactory explanation. Venus blinked.

"Sorry, I don't really keep up with human issues," she said to the Atlantean. Aqualad shot her a quick grin, seeming amused.

"I will explain on the way," he said. Then he paused. "You are coming, correct?" Venus considered. Whatever this was certainly seemed more interesting than just sitting around the Cave all day. Besides, she was there to assist the Team in any way. She nodded.

"I suppose. It's not as if I have anything better to do."

* * *

"Stop." The guard swept his hand out, glaring at Venus and Aqualad as they tried to enter the building where the peace summit was being held. Venus had been caught up to speed about the warring nations on the two-block walk from the Zeta-Tube. The guard pointed to the door and then at the two teens. "Authorized personal _only." _

Aqualad frowned. He stepped forward, about to begin debating with the guard. Before he could, Venus placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. She stepped forward in his place, smiling alluringly at the guard.

_"Nǐ hǎo ma?" _she asked in perfect Chinese. She didn't know Taiwanese as well as she did Mandarin, but even though they were in Taipei, she was assuming he would speak Chinese as well.

The guard frowned at her. It was clear he understood her, but he didn't like the way this girl was wasting his time. Venus grinned.

_"Wǒmen…zài zhèlǐ wéi nín tígōng bāngzhù,"_ she said. _"Dànshì wǒmen bùnéng cóng zhèlǐ kāishǐ. Qǐng ràng wǒmen jìn." _She placed her hand on his arm, lowering her eyelids and smiling winningly. The guard's expression became dazed and he nodded slowly.

_"Ń... shì de,"_ he replied slowly. "_Shì. Jìnlái ba."_ He stepped aside, and Venus motioned for Aqualad to pass through the doors first. He held the door for her, and Venus passed through after him. She tossed a grin back at the stunned guard as she walked inside.

"_Xièxiè n__ǐ,"_ she said with a grin. Aqualad pressed the comm. in his ear, alerting Red Arrow that they were in the building.

"You know Chinese?" Aqualad asked her in surprise as they walked into the building. The summit was being held just behind the doors they'd walked through, and they stayed at the back of the crowd, behind a small cluster of tables. Aqualad caught Red Arrow's eye, and the elder hero gave the Atlantean a tiny nod, acknowledging that he'd seen them.

"I know a lot of languages," Venus replied breezily, turning her attention to the arguing men up on the dais. She listened to them fight, shaking her head in disapproval. She turned to Aqualad. "You know, people blame my father for war and strife and evil," she said. Aqualad turned towards Venus, his pale eyes indicating his surprise. Venus shrugged. "The Devil made me do it and all that." Venus let out an angry huff of air. "Humans always want someone else to blame," she said, her voice quiet with a fierce anger. "As if my father could care about their petty lives."

Aqualad was a little startled. This bitter side of Venus came out every now and again, a break from her carefully crafted emotionless persona. Though he had seen it before, Aqualad was not quite sure how to react to it, especially given the fact that the subtleties of Christianity were a little lost on him.

"I am…sorry," he said, deeming it an appropriate response. "That seems difficult." Venus's lips twitched.

"I suppose it is," she replied, her eyebrows knitting together. No on had ever sympathized with her before. She was quiet for a moment. "Thanks," she mumbled after a beat, sounding slightly wondering.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," Lux Luthor's voice broke through the angry tones of the squalling men. "This is mere rhetoric!" he insisted. "Despite your differences you still share an appreciation for many things, such as the exquisite art of the Rhelasian tea ceremony." Behind Luthor, Red Arrow's eyes narrowed behind his mask. He jutted his chin out ever-so-slightly, the movement only noticeable to Aqualad.

The Atlantean turned around, his eyes falling on the woman pushing the tea cart. Her face was covered with makeup, and she was dressed differently than the last time he had seen her. Still, he recognized her.

"That is far enough," Aqualad said, slipping a hand into his pocket and pulling out one of his water bearers. "_Cheshire." _

Venus had turned around as well, and she watched with interest as the woman's face contorted into a sneer. Behind the table, Red Arrow pulled his bow out, knocking an arrow and pointing it at the assassin. Venus closed her hand around one of her whips, her eyes flickering. Cheshire scowled. She bent forwards slightly, like she was going to leap over Aqualad's head.

Instead, her finger brushed a button on the handle of the tea cart, and she sent it flying forwards with a mighty shove. Aqualad grunted, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he summoned water from around the room. The liquid in the diplomats' cups began to rise towards him, and the Atlantean began to create a water dome to shield them from the impending explosion.

There was a rush of air as an arrow swished past Venus's cheek, hitting the tea cart just before it passed the perimeter of Aqualad's shield. The cart exploded, and the heat and force blew through Aqualad's shield, making the Atlantean grunt as he planted his feet. The force died down slowly, and Aqualad fell to his knees, gasping for air. Venus knelt beside her leader, carefully helping to his feet. Her eyes tracked the Cheshire's movements. The woman was coughing as she rose to her feet, a pained and irritated grimace plastered across her face.

"It's over, Cheshire," Red Arrow said, pointing an arrow at her as Aqualad and Venus stood around him. The assassin grinned darkly.

"You would think so," she replied, straightening up with a sneer on her face. As she spoke, a helicopter appeared behind her, hovering in front of the broken window. The chopper was full of assassins. Behind the heroes, one of the Rhelasians shouted an order to the security members around them.

"Take Sportsmaster!" Red Arrow shouted. "Cheshire's _mine!"_

_ "Mm, _so territorial and only our third date," the assassin purred. Red Arrow's eyes narrowed behind his mask, and he let his arrow fly. Aqualad ran forwards, flipping over Cheshire's head in a high arc to engage with Sportsmaster, who was ruthlessly taking out the security members.

Venus sighed, picking up both of her whips and rotating her wrists. The holy fire sparked from the hilts, the whips twitching at her side like a live wire. One of the Shadows rushed by, attempting to reach Luthor and the other politicians seated upon the platform. Venus lashed her whip, catching the Shadow around the foot and dragging him back towards her.

The assassin grunted, struggling to sit up. He wrapped his fingers around the holy fire surrounding his ankle. Holy fire wasn't like actual fire. Some said it only burned sinners, but Venus knew it was much simpler than that. It only hurt when she _wanted_ it to hurt them.

"Let it burn," Venus muttered, catching the assassin's gaze. Her eyes flickered to empty sockets, and the assassin screamed, yanking his hands back from the circlet around his ankle. His hands were blistered and bloody. Venus smiled cruelly, rotating her wrist to tighten the circle of flames burning around his ankle.

The power itched at her fingertips. She could drop him straight into Hell if she tried hard enough. Someone grabbed Venus's shoulder.

"Enough! He's not going anywhere." Venus growled in frustration, dropping the whip and turning around. It was Red Arrow.

"You asked for my help," she snapped at him.

"Actually, I didn't," Red Arrow replied coldly, shooting down another assassin with a net arrow. "I asked for _Aqualad's_ help." Despite his sniping, he and Venus ended up back-to-back as he positioned another arrow against his bow.

"You haven't gotten the memo?" Venus said sarcastically, flicking her wrist. The fiery whip hit two Shadows in the chest, making them fall to the ground. "I'm your friends' little _pet _until 2011. Better get used to me." Red Arrow grunted derisively, kicking another assassin aside.

"I'd rather not." Venus chuckled.

"Your loss," she replied flirtatiously, lashing another Shadow around the chest. The assassin struggled against her power, and she couldn't help but to laugh.

_Humans are so fruitless._

"Darling, this will go a lot quicker if you just settle down," she told the Shadow disparagingly as she walked closer. The assassin grunted.

"Do your worst," he snapped back, wrapping his hand around the holy fire rope as he tried to tug it away from him. Unlike the other man, Venus didn't let it burn him. Instead, she grinned darkly at the man's taunt, a fun idea occurring to her.

Most humans couldn't bear the full brunt of her demonic appearance. At the Tower of Fate, Venus had simply been throwing a tantrum – though she'd assumed her demon form, there had been no power to it. Now, however…

Venus stared the assassin dead in the eye, a grin flickering across her face as she used her powers to tug at the anger and hatred inside of him – any sin a person had magnified her ability to scare them. The assassin gulped, feeling a tangible shift as Venus's eyes turned from an alluring hazel to dark, gaping pits.

The Shadow choked on air, his breath coming out in short gasps as he found himself unable to look away from Venus. She stepped forward, her face melting away to show him the daughter of the Devil. He staggered backwards, his whimpering breaths turning into a short shriek.

To the outside observer, Venus appeared to be the beautiful teenage girl of her human appearance. But to the assassin in front of her, Venus was a monster. The embodiment of his inner demons come to life.

Venus chuckled under her breath, her eyelids fluttering at the rush of power that soared through her veins.

"Venus!" Aqualad's voice cut through her concentration. His tone was stern. "Enough. This battle is over." Venus grinned darkly at the terrified assassin in front of her, her grin sharp and deadly.

"Just wanted to see if these guys were as tough as the look," she responded, reverting her face back to her human appearance as she turned to face Aqualad. The Shadow shivered in relief, his breath coming out in short, panicked gasps as he curled on his side. He retched behind her, and Venus grimaced in disgust. "I'm currently not impressed."

Aqualad surveyed the Shadow behind Venus, his frown deepening. Typically, Shadows were beneath his concern, but now he felt a pang of sympathy for this man. Shaking his head, he raised his gaze back to Venus.

"You went too far. We _will _talk about this later," he warned the demon, his voice ominous. Venus didn't flinch, her lip curling into a smirk as she brushed passed Aqualad dismissively. Her sing-song tone carried back to him as she walked away.

"Looking forward to it."

* * *

Venus watched as the North and South Rhelasian leaders signed a peace treaty. Camera bulbs were flashing erratically, as everyone tried to capture what was seemingly a momentous occasion.

Venus…didn't really get it. What was a little signature on a piece of paper going to do? They were human – they could easily back out of it. She shook her head astonishingly, wondering (not for the first time) how the human race had managed to survive as long as they had.

"Grandfather _must _be looking out for them," she muttered with a shake of her head. Venus was so engrossed in this meaningless display that she didn't notice Red Arrow and Aqualad slipping to the side. The archer glanced furtively at the demon, beckoning Aqualad a few steps away. The Atlantean followed his friend.

"I heard what Sportsmaster said," Red Arrow said to Aqualad quietly, keeping one eye on Venus the whole time. "Do you really think there's a mole on your team?" Aqualad pursed his lips.

"I cannot rule out the possibility," he replied regretfully. "I will investigate, quietly." Red Arrow raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Not _tell _them?" he asked. Aqualad shook his head.

"I cannot risk the unit unraveling over baseless suspicion," he responded. "And besides, if there is a mole, I have no wish to tip him or her off." Red Arrow nodded slowly, understanding Aqualad's logic. He glanced over at Venus.

"Well, your little _friend _seems like a pretty good candidate right about now," Red Arrow said, glancing at Venus. "I know who she is, and so do you, and she's certainly proven that she's ruthless enough to be a Shadow." Aqualad shook his head.

"She is not the mole," he said with certainty. "Her father told us her word is bond, and her word is to help us." Red Arrow laughed darkly.

"Not that I'm the most religious guy in the world, but have you thought about who her father _is?" _Red Arrow reminded Aqualad. "I don't think you should trust her. Did you see what she did to those two assassins?"

"I believe I can trust her," Aqualad replied evenly. "But I also believe she made a mistake today." Red Arrow sighed.

"No doubt about _that_," he replied, looking over at the demon. His eyes narrowed behind his mask. "What I _doubt _is that _she _thinks it was a mistake."

Aqualad followed Red Arrow's gaze. Venus was surveying the scene in front of her with a sort of distant interest. Something about the look on her face sent a chill down Aqualad's spine.

It wasn't that she looked angry or vengeful or anything like that. She looked…_remote_. She was observing the scene as though others might animals at a zoo.

It was suddenly eerily clear to Aqualad that Venus didn't care about people. She didn't associate with them. She didn't _understand _them – the way the felt pain or emotion or anything _human_.

She had said as much before, but he always taken it with a grain of salt. Now, looking at her, he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before.

Venus turned towards Aqualad, catching his gaze. Noticing him looking, she gave him a winning smile. Some of Aqualad's fears dissipated. Maybe tonight had just been a fluke. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions.

The demon cast another curious glance at the summit before turning to join the two boys, brushing her long hair out of her eyes.

"Well, then," she said to Red Arrow. "It was _so _lovely to meet you. Now can we leave?" her question was directed at Aqualad. The Atlantean nodded slowly.

"Yes," he replied. "We are leaving."

"Marvelous. This was _boring._" Venus's heels began to click against the sidewalk as she turned to head back to the Zeta Tube they'd come from. As soon as Venus turned away from Aqualad, the chilly feeling returned. He and Red Arrow exchanged a look. _Boring?_

The archer nodded at his friend meaningfully, looking from Venus back to Aqualad. The Atlantean nodded, understanding Red Arrow's unspoken message.

_Be careful. _

* * *

_"Recognized: Aqualad, B-Zero-Two; Venus Morningstar A-Zero-Three." _The two teenagers stepped into the Cave, and Venus began to walk towards her room. Aqualad frowned.

"Venus," he called after her. She grunted, waving him off dismissively. "Venus! We need to talk." The demon groaned, turning around and rolling her eyes. Aqualad stared at her sternly. "You went too far," Aqualad told her again. Venus rolled her eyes.

"I did nothing to him but show him what he's in denial of," she replied, already bored of this conversation. She turned to leave again. "He'll be fine."

"Venus!" She paused again, turning slightly. Aqualad stared her down, his pale eyes serious. "You drove that man to insanity. Perhaps permanently."

"He'll be _fine," _Venus repeated in exasperation. Besides the fact that human lives were of little import to her, she knew she hadn't gone far enough to kill him. "If he wasn't dead when we left him, he'll recover soon enough. He'll have nightmares for a few weeks, maybe months, and then he'll be _fine_."

"And if he had died?"

"Do you think I would have cared?" Venus asked matter-of-factly. The Atlantean's lips tightened in disapproval, and his eyes narrowed.

"_I _care," he replied. "And you should – or at least you should care what your friends think of you." Venus threw her head back and laughed, the sound sharp and mocking.

"_Friends?_" She looked back at the Atlantean with something that mirrored sympathy. "Oh, Kaldur. We're not friends. You and your team are a _deal. _I'm maintaining my end of the bargain and that's _it." _Aqualad frowned. It wasn't that he'd never seen Venus's angrier side before, but this was the first time he'd seen how cold and calculating she could be.

"We have never treated you like anything less than _part _of the Team," Aqualad told her, incensed. "_We_ have never treated you like anything less than a _friend." _Venus snorted.

"Maybe that was your first mistake," she replied coldly. Her tone wasn't defensive or sad – she didn't want to be part of the Team. She didn't want - or need - _friends. _She wanted to _leave. _Aqualad stared at her. Venus smirked. "If you hadn't, I wouldn't have disappointed you."

* * *

**ugh i'm so sorry this chapter is so short. i just was dying to finish it and i did my best. **

**also there's a lot of subtext in this chapter. idk how well i did it. lol. anyways. **

**please let me know what you think! your reviews keep me going! please please please leave a review!**


	6. Homefront

**To HeavenlyMonster: Thank you! I'm sorry the next chapter took so long...anyways, my idea for this character just came from watching the Lucifer Netflix show.**

**I'm sorry in advance for this chapter...I feel like it's not very well-written.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

* * *

**MOUNT JUSTICE  
September 22, 18:34 EDT**

Venus stared at the baby grand piano sitting in the center of her room incredulously.

"What the fuck, Dad?" she muttered aloud, shaking her head in disbelief as she walked over to the instrument. She flipped the top of keylid up, staring at the keys in shock. She ran her index finger down the keyboard in a slow glissando. It was perfectly in tune.

Also – it was _hers. _The one she'd had in her room back in Los Angeles. She ducked her head to check and, yup – there was the burn mark on the side she'd accidentally made two years ago playing with her lighter.

Venus had _no idea _how her piano had been transported to her room – she'd left for five minutes.

Smiling slightly, the demon took a seat at the piano bench – set perfectly to her height – and flexed her fingers. She would be lying if she said she hadn't missed playing. Resting her hands on the keyboard, Venus closed her eyes and began to play.

Typically, Venus preferred music that broke rules. She loved jazz and blues, songs that were considered almost _scandalous _at the time of their inception. She also loved classic rock. Really, she loved anything that any strait-laced old-timer would hate – anything that people would class as "Devil's Music."

But instead of playing one of her favorites, Venus slipped into a rendition of Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude in D flat major. It was possibly one of her favorite classical pieces, though she wasn't quite sure why.

Venus's fingers and feet moved through the piece absent-mindedly. Playing was second nature to her, even though she was rusty. Practicing piano had always helped her focus on her thoughts.

The song came to an end, and Venus played the final chords slightly more forcefully than normal. Her tone made the song sound a little more ominous than it was supposed to, but she found that she quite liked it.

"That was awesome!"

Venus spun around. Superboy and Miss Martian were standing at Venus's doorway. The green-skinned girl was clapping her hands, her eyes wide with enthusiasm. Superboy looked impressed as well. Venus smiled lazily.

"Ah…thanks," she replied. She turned back to the keyboard, mindlessly composing another quiet tune. "My father owns a nightclub in Los Angeles, but it's really more of a piano bar, sometimes," she said as if to explain. Venus frowned. "He's quite good." Suddenly, Venus didn't feel like playing anymore. She rose to her feet suddenly, closing the lid.

Miss Martian blinked, a little surprised by Venus's sudden mood-swing. She had looked very…peaceful when she had been playing, but now her expression was closed-off again. The other girl shuffled her feet slightly, wondering if she'd done something wrong. Maybe Venus had wanted to be left alone…but her door had been open.

"Next time I'll take requests," Venus said, winking at her two teammates. She walked over to them, stepping out into the hallway. They followed her out of the entry way of her room, and she shut the door.

As if on cue, there was a dinging noise from the kitchen. Miss Martian blinked in surprise.

"Oh, my cookies!" She flew down the hallway, towards the common area of the Cave. Superboy and Venus followed. By the time they reached the kitchen, Miss Martian was pulling a tray of sugar cookies out of the oven. "Ta-da!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Yum," Venus said, leaning over the counter to take a better look at the pastries. Miss Martian grinned.

"I'm going to let them cool while I make the icing, and then they'll be ready!" she declared, placing them off to the side.

"Well, I was going to work on my bike," Superboy said, looking at the two girls. "Either of you want to come?" Miss Martian blushed slightly at the offer.

"I, um…" Miss Martian glanced at the powdered sugar and other icing ingredients off to the side. "I was going to finish up here…" she said, weighing her options. She wanted to continue hanging out with Superboy, but she really wanted to finish baking also. Maybe she could convince him to stay here…

"I'll come with you," Venus said before Miss Martian could say anything. Superboy smiled slightly, and Venus gave him a sly grin back. "Not like I have anything _better _to do," she taunted cheekily, hip checking Superboy as she passed him. A fond, slightly exasperated smile flickered over Superboy's face as he rolled his eyes and turned to follow Venus.

Miss Martian swallowed, watching the pair anxiously.

She and Superboy had gone on a mission together last week, just the two of them. Towards the end of it, Miss Martian had been frozen into a block of ice. Obviously, she was perfectly fine now. But when she'd broken free of the ice, Superboy had been so concerned about her, so relieved that she was okay. She remembered his relieved sigh when she'd broken out, his arms around her in a tight hug.

Miss Martian had begun to think that, after that, maybe the two of them would start dating. But Superboy had treated her just the same as always – friendly, less gruff and stand-offish to her than he was to their classmates and other girls at school, but nothing more. And now, sometimes Miss Martian still thought that he preferred Venus.

"I'll come join you guys after!" she called after them as the two heroes walked off together. Venus turned around, shooting Miss Martian a thumbs-up as she walked backwards. In doing so, she nearly collided with the wall as she attempted to turn the corner. Superboy grabbed her before she could fall, and their combined laughter echoed down the hallway and back to Miss Martian.

"Aren't you supposed to be more graceful than that, enhanced abilities and all?" Superboy teased the girl playfully. Venus laughed again.

"Well, why do I need those if you're here to catch me?" she responded. Superboy's response was lost as the two moved farther towards the hangar and out of earshot from Miss Martian.

The alien girl looked down at the counter, frowning slightly as she levitated a mixing bowl and the powdered sugar over to her.

Superboy and Venus were _just _friends, right?

* * *

"So, you never told me about your undercover mission with M'gann?" Venus said conversationally, hoisting herself onto Superboy's bike. Her feet dangled exactly in front of where he'd been looking. He shot her a quick exasperated look, pointedly moving her legs out of the way before focusing on the bike again. She chuckled, rearranging her position so that she was practically lounging across it.

"It was, you know, fine," Superboy said, looking at the mechanics with a frown. "I mean, we prevented the prison break." Venus couldn't help but laugh at the answer.

"Wow, _riveting _story," she teased the clone. "Come on, Conner." He liked the way she said his name. Her accent made the _r _at the end much softer, more like _Con-nuh._ "What's the nick like on the inside?"

"The _nick?" _Superboy repeated, looking up in confusion. His eyes widened as he took in Venus's new position. The girl was lying across his motorbike, her legs dangling over the handlebars and her face about three inches from his own. Something about the way she was lying was extremely…suggestive. It also didn't look comfortable in the slightest, but her face gave no indication of discomfort.

"You _know," _Venus said, seemingly oblivious to Superboy's surprise. The clone dropped his gaze quickly, staring at the motorbike again. "The clink, the slammer, the big house. _Prison_."

"Right," Superboy responded, composing himself and looking back up at Venus. Their faces were still inches apart, her hazely-green eyes locked on his. Venus's eyes flickered across Superboy's face, and a lazy grin spread over her face. "Never heard it called 'the nick' before," Superboy explained.

"Ah, I guess Cadmus didn't cover British slang," Venus murmured, nodding her head. She grinned, curling on her side and using her arm as a pillow as she wiggled even closer to Superboy. She was about two inches from completely falling of the bike, but she didn't quite care. Superboy's chest tightened oddly as he stared at the girl. Venus's voice dropped lower, her voice only a whisper as she breathed out, "Eh, _mate?" _

"Guess not," Superboy murmured back. Venus grinned again, and Superboy blinked. "Why do you _have _a British accent, anyways?" he asked her curiously. Venus turned her face back towards the ceiling, and the tightness in Superboy's chest loosened. He let out a slow breath.

"Good question," Venus replied. She paused. "I don't have a good answer."

Superboy chuckled, and Venus joined him. As their laughter faded away, the two teenagers lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"Hey, guys!" A cheerful voice rang out. Venus sat up on Superboy's bike, switching position so that she was leaning against the handlebars with her legs crisscrossed. It was a much more innocent position. Kid Flash and Miss Martian were walking towards their two friends. Rolling behind them and beeping cheerfully was Superboy's alien-tech pet, Sphere. The speedster was holding one of Miss Martian's frosted cookies, gulping it down as the two teenagers climbed the steps to join Superboy and Venus.

"Looks like you haven't had much progress yet," Kid Flash said, inspecting Superboy's bike over the clone's shoulder. "Obviously, you need the Wall-Man's expert help." Venus chuckled at the expression on Superboy's face, halfway between irration and amusement.

"Go ahead," Superboy responded, stepping away from the bike. Venus made to move as well, but Wally stopped her.

"You can stay there, angel," he said, grinning at her. Venus rolled her eyes.

"_How _many times have I asked you not to call me that?" she said with no real heat to the words. Usually, being called "angel" would piss her off to a whole new level, but she minded it less when Kid Flash said it.

Venus froze at that thought_. _That didn't mean she was…growing _fond _of the Team, right? _Ugh. _

Kid Flash poked at the machinery for a moment considering. "Gimme a torque wrench," he requested, holding a hand out. Miss Martian levitated the correct tool over to the speedster, who grabbed it from the air. "Thank you, green-cheeks," he said, winking at the Martian.

Approaching footsteps made Venus turn her head. Aqualad was walking towards the group. He paused next to the bike, looking at his friends warily.

"I have been meaning to ask," he ventured. "Any problem juggling schoolwork with your responsibilities here?" Venus turned away – obviously the question didn't pertain to her.

"No," Superboy responded simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"Juggling's just _one _of my many talents," Kid Flash responded airily, tightening one of the mechanisms in the bike. "Socket wrench!"

"Daily cheerleading practice has presented a challenge," Miss Martian admitted, hovering the next tool over to Kid Flash. "But my first loyalty is _always _to the Team," she added. "This team!" She clarified, realizing her statement had been misleading. "Not the Bumblebees."

Aqualad nodded slowly. He eyed Venus for a moment, recalling Red Arrow's warning and their brief _confrontation _after Taipei. She looked back at him, her expression innocent and unwavering. Aqualad looked away.

"Artemis starts school today," he said. "Do you think _she _will have trouble maintaining her loyalties?" Venus arched an eyebrow. Something about Aqualad's tone was a little suspicious, like he wasn't telling them everything.

"What – " she began, only to be cut off by Kid Flash.

"Nah, she'll manage alright," the speedster said, standing up. He put his hands on his hips, smirking. "I mean, how much more hostile and annoying can she – "

There was a wave of heat and smoke as the hangar wall exploded, sending debris flying through the air. The explosion caught the Team by surprise, and they all flew backwards from the force of it.

Venus grimaced, standing up slowly. Before the Team could recuperate enough to react or even fully realize what happened, a stream of water rose up from the inlet in the hangar. It hit the Team in full force, shoving Venus back to the ground. She coughed as the water receded, her eyes stinging from the salt.

"Move!" she heard Aqualad shouting. Venus scrambled to her feet once more, heading down the steps and reaching for her whip. She cursed when she realized she'd left them locked in her room.

"Dammit," she muttered, holding her hands outwards. Holy fire flickered around her fingers, spiraling up her wrists. She turned around, her eyes scanning the hangar for their attackers.

She spotted a shape moving through the cloud of smoke and steam and sent a blast towards it. To her surprise, the force of the flames didn't even make the assailant flinch.

The attacker stepped out of the smoke, and Venus frowned. It was a robot – an android – that looked scarily similar to Red Tornado, only with a female build. Venus focused harder, sending another stream of flames towards the android.

The robot continued walking forwards, the flames rolling of her chest with no observable affect. Venus lowered her hand in shock, stepping backwards slowly. Her holy fire was _hot _– there should have been at least _some _melting of the paint or metal.

"Bloody Hell…" Venus muttered, taking another step back. The android in front of her raised its arm and Venus watched with wide eyes as flames began to circle around the robot's wrist. _Well, that makes sense. _

Venus leapt to the side, dodging the first blast of flames that the android sent at her. In doing so, her back slammed into something else that was very hard and metal. The demon whirled around, facing another Red Tornado look-alike.

The android shoved its hand out, catching Venus around her throat and lifting her into the air. The demon gasped, wrapping her fingers around the robot's hands in an attempt to pull it away.

"Vee!" She heard Superboy shout in concern. The android slammed Venus into the ground, pinning her against the stone. The force of her hitting the ground was enough to crack the floor around her.

Venus was immortal. She was certain that she couldn't die, but the lack of oxygen and the blow made her dizzy. She scrabbled weakly at the android's hand, fear starting to coil inside of her.

"Venus!" Superboy came out of nowhere, tackling the android off of the demon. Venus gasped for air, slowly pushing herself out of the crevice that her body had formed from being crushed against the ground.

She glanced to the side, her head spinning. Miss Martian was lying across the ground, her eyes closed. Venus faintly remembered that Martians were susceptible to heat – she hadn't stood a chance.

Rasping for breath, Venus moved to stand up. The ground tilted beneath her feet as she moved, and she fell to her hands and knees. Before she could attempt to rise to her feet again, the female android swung her metal leg out in a sharp kick. Her foot collided with Venus's temple, and the demon slumped to the ground.

* * *

"Venus? Come on, Vee, wake up."

Groaning, the demon cracked her eyes open. The light streaming in above her was obnoxiously bright, and it made her head hurt something awful. She was also in an odd position…for some reason she felt like she couldn't move her arms or legs.

Blinking a few times, Venus looked down. She stared in confusion at the melted metal surrounding her body and keeping her arms pinned to her sides. Her brain was too sluggish to recall how she'd gotten into this position.

"What happened?" she mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut and tipping it against the metal gently. Her head was _really _pounding.

"Androids," Superboy responded, watching the girl closely. "Are you alright?" Venus cracked her eyes open and took in the concerned look on Superboy's face. She mustered up a smile.

"I'll be fine," she replied as flippantly as possible. She craned her head around, trying to see. They were the hangar of the Cave still, right next to the inlet of water. Venus could see Kid Flash on the other side of Superboy, also encased in the melted metal. "Where are Aqualad and Miss Martian?" The demon asked, frowning.

Kid Flash jutted his chin outwards, his eyes narrowed in concern. "Up there," the speedster responded. Venus followed his gaze, her eyes widening when she spotted the cage of fire on the upper level of the hangar. She turned towards the two boys in alarm.

"Fire? Isn't that…" her voice trailed off, but she wasn't sure what she would have said anyways. _Very bad? Their weakness? Going to kill them? _Nothing reassuring, definitely. "Oh."

"Yeah," Kid Flash responded. "We have to – " The speedster was cut off by the crackling of the PA system. Venus frowned, raising her gaze upwards in surprise as the message echoed out over the hangar.

_"Attention Robin. Attention Artemis. You have exactly ten minutes to surrender, or the lives of your friends will be extinguished." _

"Artemis and Robin are – " Venus cut herself off with a slightly embarrassing gasp. The male android had just risen out of the water, striding towards them ominously. She flinched back instinctively, but the android simply held his hand out to the side.

Venus watched, eyes wide, as the water level began to rise. She swallowed hard as the waves crashed against the steps, rising over them and brushing her feet. Her heart pounded in her throat as she began to struggle against the metal bonds. To her surprise, they held fast against her enhanced strength – not even Superboy could break free.

Her heart pounded as the water rose fast, covering her legs and waist and quickly crawling up past her chest.

To be completely honest, Venus wasn't sure if she could drown. What she knew for sure was that she did _not _want to find out.

"Nine minutes and forty-five seconds," the android said, wading towards the trapped teenagers. Venus swallowed hard, gritting her teeth. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, silently praying.

_Cassie? If you're there, now would be a _great _time to step in._

There was no response, no slowing of time or flash of light. Venus rolled her eyes in irritation. Of course, the _one _time she actually needed help, Cassie had his "cell phone" turned off.

Likely running errands for his dad. Venus's uncle hated for Castiel to be "distracted" while he was working.

"Can't you melt the metal?" Kid Flash asked Venus, snapping her out of her thoughts. The demon shook her head.

"Not without boiling us alive," she said, nodding at the water around them pointedly. She didn't have enough control over her fire to _only _melt the metal without the heat spreading to the water as well – frankly, she wasn't sure it was possible – and the melting point of the metal had to be _well _over 500 degrees Celcius. She muttered a curse, wishing she had thought to melt the metal _before _the android raised the water.

A splashing sound followed by gasps for air caught Venus's attention. She turned her head to see Robin and Artemis a few meters away. The two heroes looked okay, but they were both desperately sucking in air.

"Look out!" Kid Flash shouted to his friends. The female android was flying above them, and she sent a blast of flames directly at the two teenagers. Robin and Artemis ducked underwater again, swimming beneath the surface to avoid being hit. The two of them resurfaced next to Venus.

"You guys okay?" Robin asked breathlessly, flicking his wet hair away from his face as he treaded water.

"We're fine," Superboy said. He shifted his gaze to the fiery cage above their heads. "I think M'gann and Kaldur are in trouble." Artemis sucked in a shaky breath.

"Aqualad!" the archer cried. "Is she – "

"She is unconscious," Aqualad responded before Artemis could finish her sentence. His voice was audibly strained. "I fear she – _we – _cannot survive much longer."

Before the Team would attempt to form a plan, the female android caught up to them. She sent another blast of fire towards Artemis and Robin, and the two ducked under the water again. The flames flickered out over the surface of the water, brushing Venus's cheek. She barely noticed the fleeting sting of the burn as her eyes anxiously tracked Artemis and Robin.

The two heroes resurfaced by the staircase, wading out of the water to race up the stairs. They'd only made it halfway up when the male android surfaced behind them, cutting them off from doubling back. The female android landed in front of Robin and Artemis – the two of them were trapped.

Venus swallowed hard as she watched Robin and Artemis fight the androids. Robin flung a birdarang that ricocheted off the chest of the female android and embedded itself in the metal next to Kid Flash's head. She pressed her lips together, feeling stress rise in her as the two narrowly escaped being captured. She could see their shapes moving deeper and deeper through the water – for now they were out of harms way.

Venus let out a slow breath, relieved.

She rationalized her concern for Artemis and Robin as simple pragmaticism – she was worried that if they died or got captured, _she _would die. Venus wasn't _actually _worried about the safety of Robin and Artemis.

But even that argument couldn't explain the anxious feeling that rose in her chest when she looked over at Superboy and Kid Flash, or the concern that she'd felt when she'd heard the weakness of Aqualad's voice.

Venus bit her lip. _I don't care about them,_ she thought fiercely. _I don't. _

_ "What do we do now?" _Artemis's voice sounded close to Venus's head, clear as day. The demon's eyes flew wide, and she tilted her head around. She couldn't see the archer anywhere.

"What?" she said, turning her head to the other side in confusion. She was _positive _she had _heard _their voices. "Where are –"

"Sh!" Kid Flash said, his gaze flickering over to the androids anxiously. They hadn't seemed to notice Venus's outburst. Venus fell silent, looking at Kid Flash expectantly. The speedster tilted his head towards the birdarang next to his head, and for the first time Venus noticed the blinking green light. She blinked, a small grin flashing across her face. _That Robin _is _a smart one. _

At first Robin and Artemis were just arguing – Artemis was clearly stressed out, and Robin was much more level-headed.

_"How can you be so calm?" _Artemis asked in disbelief. Venus could hear faint scraping sounds as the two crawled through the air vents.

_"Practice," _came Robin's response. "_I've been doing this since I was nine." _

_ "What good is that now?" _Artemis asked. _"What chance do we have against unrelenting machines?" _

_ "Oh, duh!" _Suddenly Robin sounded much more hopeful. _"They're machines! And one electro-magnetic pulse will shut down _any _machine in range!" _Venus arched an eyebrow. She didn't really know what an electro-magnetic pulse was – she wasn't super science-y – but the grin on Kid Flash's face told her it was a good thing.

"Duh!" Kid Flash repeated, shaking his head.

_"Great!" _Artemis said, also sounding enthused. But then the tone of her voice changed, becoming tense once more. "_Except you better have an EMP emitter in your utility belt, because I _know _I don't have one in my quiver!" _

_ "I'm fresh out," _Robin responded. Venus could hear the smile in his voice. _"What do you say, KF? Do-able?" _

"Totally do-able!" the speedster responded with a grin.

_"Five minutes," _the android's voice warned over the PA system. Kid Flash's smile faded, and he sighed.

"You know, if we had more time."

_"It's worth a shot," _Robin replied firmly. Also, it was the only chance they had. _"Walk me through it." _Kid Flash nodded to himself. He kept one eye on the android as he talked, worried that they might overhear and put a stop to what they were up to.

Venus could hear Kid Flash instructing Robin on how to build an EMP with supplies from the medical lab. She mostly tuned them out, keeping an eye on the androids. The robots were standing on the ledge by the fire cage, looking down upon Venus, Kid Flash, and Superboy. So far, they seemed none the wiser to what they were planning.

_"Okay," _said Robin. "_Make with the distraction." _

Venus blinked. She'd obviously missed something.

"Hey, Red Tomato!" Kid Flash shouted obnoxiously. "Who's your girlfriend, Red Onion?" Venus nodded slowly. _Okay, distracting the robots. Got it._

"Yeah, and by the way!" Superboy added. "Worst death trap _ever! _We can escape any time we want!"

"I can vibrate my molecules out of here before your _binary brains _can count to two!" Kid Flash shouted. Venus laughed, playing along with the act. She couldn't lie, so the best she could do was speak uncertainties or bent truths.

"Do you lot know how _hard _it is to kill a demon?" She called up to them. "There's no _way _a simple drowning will do me in!"

"Same here!" Superboy yelled. "You can't _drown _a Kryptonian – we don't breathe air!" Kid Flash and Venus laughed, making light of their dire situation the best they could. Out of her peripheral vision, Venus could make out Robin ziplining across the hangar to the generator on the other side.

"And Miss Martian?" Kid Flash shouted. "I can't believe you're buying her act!"

"Yeah, do you know how hot it gets in the caves on Mars?" Superboy added. "That cage is just making her homesick!"

Venus saw the male android look away from the shouting teens. She swore under her breath as she realized he had caught sight of Robin. Artemis's shouted warning came too late, and Venus watched in horror as the boy was caught up in a wave.

The male android twisted his hand, and the wave turned into a column of water. Venus's throat clenched as she stared at Robin's motionless body inside of it.

He was drowning.

The android unclenched his fist, and the water splashed back to the inlet below. Robin fell to the ground in a heap. He didn't move.

"Robin!" Venus shouted instinctively. There was no response. "_Robin!"_

She turned to Kid Flash; her eyes wide with horror. The speedster shook his head in slow disbelief. The speedster had seen Robin best supervillain after supervillain, go up against bullets and super-strength and missiles…after all that, he drowned?

Venus swallowed hard, craning her neck around. She couldn't see Artemis anywhere – she wasn't sure if the girl had escaped or if she was somewhere out of Venus's line of sight, injured.

The water level was rising around them slowly but steadily. By now, it was at Venus's neck. She and the others had their heads tipped upwards as much as possible, trying to maximize their time spent above water. Above them, the android continued to announce the time remaining at one-minute intervals.

Taking a deep breath, Venus closed her eyes again. She focused hard, trying with all her strength to reach Castiel. _CASSIE. I. Need. Your. Help. _She opened her eyes again, looking around for any sign of her cousin. He was nowhere.

"_One minute." _

_Of course the one time I _need _his time-slowing ability he's nowhere to be seen, _Venus thought bitterly.

"I surrender," Artemis's voice was small, but it echoed around the cavern. "Stop the clock." Venus stared at the archer with wide eyes, wondering what would happen now. Despite what the androids had said – that if Artemis surrendered in ten minutes, they wouldn't die – she doubted they had gone through all this just to let them go.

As if to prove Venus's point, the water continued to rise. She took one last breath as it closed over her head.

The water was cold, and the salt stung Venus's eyes. Even through the murky water, her enhanced vision meant that she could see Superboy and Kid Flash. The two of them were holding their breath as well, but there was no telling how long they could last.

_What's going to happen if I drown? _Venus wondered again. Her chest was aching – she _couldn't _go without air. But would she die? Would she return to Hell?

Venus had no idea. Despite her uncertainty, she found that the more pressing concern in her mind was for her teammates. Superboy and Kid Flash were definitely _not _immortal, and Aqualad and Miss Martian were already dying. Robin was maybe _already _dead.

_I failed, _Venus realized as her vision started to blur from lack of oxygen. _I was supposed to protect them, and I failed. _

Then, the water receded. Venus blinked in surprise, letting go of her breath and sucking in air gratefully. She looked around – Superboy and Kid Flash were panting, the water was quickly descending back into the inlet. Venus turned her gaze towards the generator – one of Artemis's arrows was sticking out of it.

Whatever she'd done, it had made the EMP work. Artemis had saved them.

"Nice shot, mate," Venus called between coughs. She could hear Artemis's breathless, shocked laughter. "How are the others?"

"M'gann breathes," Aqualad replied. "I believe she will recover. What of Robin?"

There was a tense moment of silence, and then Artemis cried out in relief. "He's – he's breathing too!"

"Thank god," Kid Flash muttered next to her, his shoulders sagging in relief.

Venus knew it was a reflexive exclamation – from what she knew about Kid Flash, she doubted the speedster believed in a higher power. Still, she couldn't resist shaking her head slightly.

"He didn't do anything," she muttered, mostly to herself. "Thank _Artemis_."

* * *

"Figured my only shot was to surrender," Robin finished explaining to the others. "Pretend to drown before I actually did." He smiled, a little sheepishly. "Blacked out, though." Venus chuckled ever-so-slightly.

"M'gann, are you alright?" Superboy asked their friend in concern. The Martian was being supported by Kaldur. She still looked very weak.

"I'll be fine," she replied quietly, smiling at Superboy. Overheated as she was, no one noticed the faint flush to her cheeks at Superboy's attention. Even if they had, they were quickly distracted by Kid Flash's scathing remark.

"Will you quit playing with that thing and cut us free?" Kid Flash snapped, glaring at Artemis, who was fiddling with a laser-cutter. The Team had quickly discovered that Venus couldn't melt herself and the others out. Once the metal started getting hot, Kid Flash and Superboy would get burned. While it might have been worth it in their life or death situation, now it certainly wasn't.

Artemis scowled back at the speedster. "It's not working, _genius. _An EMP shuts down _all machines, _remember?"

"All machines present at the time," a familiar robotic voice corrected. Red Tornado was flying in through the hangar doors, a twister wrapped around his waist. The robot landed in front of them. "What has occurred?"

"Had a little visit from your _family," _Robin responded, putting his hands on his hips as he glanced towards the deactivated androids behind them. Red Tornado's head turned as he followed Robin's gaze.

"Your extremely _nasty _family!" Artemis added.

"I was not aware I had relations," Red Tornado replied, walking past the Team to further inspect the other androids.

"Where have you been?" Superboy asked their den mother. There hadn't been a League-wide call-to-arms, so it was surprising that Red Tornado would have left the Cave for as long as he had.

"Monitor duty on the Watchtower," Red Tornado responded, bending down to look at the robots. "When it became clear that Cave communications were down, I attempted to investigate. But your ZetaTubes were also non-functional. I transported to Providence and proceeded here."

There was a loud whirring sound, and Sphere rolled free from where he had been jammed into a crater in the wall.

"Hey, boy," Superboy said as the alien tech rolled up to the clone, beeping in concern. The blaster in Artemis's hands turned on suddenly, firing a beam at the ground. The archer's eyes went wide as she struggled to switch the machine back off.

"The pulse has worn off!" Robin and Kid Flash's voices were full of alarm as they both whipped to look at the androids. Red Tornado was bent over the two prone robots. Venus watched as the Leaguer touched his finger to that of his "sister's." A spark went between the two of them and Venus could see their eyes glow red.

A chill ran down her spin, and Red Tornado turned around. The android rose into the air without a word, two twisters spiraling around his wrists as he sucked all the oxygen out of the room.

Venus choked on nothing, gasping for breath fruitlessly. Her head spun as Red Tornado continued to pull the air from the room. None of the Team was capable of fighting back.

"Can't…breathe." Venus heard Artemis choke out.

And then, everything faded to black.

* * *

When Venus came back into consciousness, the Team was no longer alone. A few more members of the League had arrived, perhaps noticing the radio silence from the Team.

The demon blinked slowly. Her head and throat were killing her.

She, Kid Flash, and Superboy were being cut out from the metal by the Atom and the Flash. A few other Leaguers were checking on the other Team members. Everyone seemed to be alright – Artemis was the last one to come to consciousness, and Superman was helping her to her feet.

"What happened here?" Superman asked, looking around.

"What _happened?" _Artemis repeated. "The _Reds _happened! Tornado and his – " she paused, looking around in confusion. "Wait," she said, noticing the lack of robot. "Where are they?"

"Gone," Robin replied, turning around from where he was talking with Batman. "All three of them." Venus looked around the Cave as though to confirm, even though there was no reason Robin would be lying. She chuckled drily.

"Fantastic."

It took a long time for the Leaguers to cut the three teenagers free. Long enough that by the time Venus stepped out of her confines, she was _seriously _irritated.

"Debrief in the mission room," Batman announced to the Team as Superboy and Kid Flash also stepped out of the melted metal. Venus crossed her arms in annoyance. She was dying to change out of her clothes, which were stiff and itchy from the saltwater. But apparently not.

A tiny meow made her look down. Grimalkin wound around Venus's ankles, purring softly. Venus let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you're safe, Grim," Venus murmured, bending down to rub her cat on the top of her head. "Can't believe you managed to stay out of the way of those androids, demon cat." Grimalkin responded with a tiny mew, followed by a slow yawn.

Too slow.

Venus's eyes narrowed as she looked around. The Team members were frozen in place around her. Growling, Venus turned around.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up!" Venus seethed. She glared at her cousin angrily, but he didn't flinch. "You're lucky I'm still alive."

"You're _immortal. _And I was under strict orders not to intervene," Castiel responded, crossing his arms. "Grandfather knew what would happen. You didn't need my help." Venus's lips curled.

"_Sure." _

"I do have one question, Anael," Castiel said, looking at his cousin in confusion. Venus rolled her eyes, turning pointedly away from the boy.

"When you learn my name, I'll answer."

"Anael – "

"Castiel, I swear – "

"_Venus." _The demon stopped short, staring at her cousin in surprise. She had never actually expected him to call her by her preferred name. Judging by the look on his face, neither had he. Castiel sighed. "Venus," he repeated, his lip curling in distaste. "Why didn't you ascend? Either of your forms would have broken free of the metal."

Venus considered this in mild surprise. Why _hadn't _she? As she thought about, the answer came to her.

"It would have killed my fr – " she froze. She had almost called Superboy and Kid Flash her _friends. _Coughing, Venus backtracked. "My, uh, _charges. _They couldn't handle the power of seeing my true form." Swallowing hard, Venus added. "And who _knows _what father would have done if they'd died on my watch? No, thank you." Castiel smirked.

"Right," he replied. "So, you don't care about them, then?" Venus glared at Castiel.

"Of course n – " the words died on her lips, rasping from her throat as she choked on air. Swallowing hard, she tried again. "I don't – " once again, she was silenced by an unseen presence, physically unable to form the words.

Stunned, Venus stared at her cousin, her face growing slightly pale.

Why couldn't she say she didn't care about them? Why?

Castiel chuckled victoriously at the look on his cousin's face.

"What's wrong?" he taunted. "Cat got your tongue?" Venus stared at Cassie blankly. "Anael, we both know you are incapable of speaking untruths," Castiel replied smugly. He spread his arms, summoning the power to leave. "Have fun with your _friends, _cuz."

* * *

**this chapter was really hard to write for some ****reason...anyways, hope you all enjoyed. **

**please leave a review! i love hearing your feedback, and even just a few words make my day :)**

**thanks for reading!**


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